Ernst Haeckel (February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist, and artist who discovered, described and named thousands of new species, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms, and coined many terms in biology including anthropogeny, ecology, phylum, phylogeny and protista. Haeckel promoted and popularised Charles Darwin’s work in Germany and developed the influential but no longer widely held recapitulation theory.
The published artwork of Haeckel includes over 100 detailed, multi-colour illustrations of animals and sea creatures, collected in his Kunstformen der Natur (“Art Forms of Nature”). The book consists of lithographic and halftone prints. Lithography is a method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone or a metal plate with a smooth surface. Halftone is the reprographic technique that simulates continuous tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size or in spacing, thus generating a gradient-like effect.
I decided to study the artwork of Haeckel due to his clear relation to nature and in particular living species. Undeniably there is huge variation within the species however all stemming from only four DNA variants there are some similarities too. I was really inspired by the vibrancy of his artwork along with bold solid colors. His black and white work is also very interesting as it allows us to view the species in much more detail revealing interesting shapes and textures. This use of black and white also links to my previous artist reference which therefore applies to the word ‘similarity’ that was given as part of the exam project. I think it would be interesting to combine inspiration taken from the two artists to produce a series of images that focuses on the thoughts and feelings of humans (Tommy Ingberg inspiration) and the diversity of species (Ernst Haeckel inspiration).
Photo Analysis
The diverse range of colors against the white background makes the image really pop and aesthetically appealing for the audience. The use of predominately orange and teal colors compliment each other contrasting nicely giving an overall effective result. There are a large variety and use of similar textures within this photo from the intertwining tentacles to the soft edges around the top of the species. There is a clear precision and careful shading that has taken place, but they also give a detailed insight into the understanding of organic evolution. Haeckel’s works is the emphasis on the essential symmetries and order of nature; even in the strangest of creatures, he managed to find a sense of biological beauty which to me is what makes his work stand out. Often people would associate a jelly fish as a scary and not so beautiful specie however his art has really transformed how some species are viewed in this case the jelly fish looks magnificent.
The art and science of Ernst Haeckel outlines the 19th-century artist-biologist’s most important visual works and publications across a hefty 704 pages. The compendium includes 450 drawings, watercolors, and sketches from his research, which was in large support of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Most notably the book contains the Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature), a collection of 100 prints of varying organisms originally published between 1899 and 1904. This particular image has come from the book which displays very detailed imagery of what appears to be a collection of jelly fish.