Haeckel's Romantic Art of Nature
The first time I heard of Haeckel was last year at the Farmer's Market. An artist friend showed me the book she had just acquired of his Art Forms in Nature. My first impression was Wow! I started to think how awesome these illustrations would look folded into paper medallions. I bought a couple of books right away, and a clip art CD and I spent many hours looking at the drawings to absorb the style.
Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) was a multimedia individual, and viewed at his time, a free thinker, flamboyant, and an eminent man of thought and science in Germany during the late 19th century. He was influenced by the German Romantic Movement and well known as a popular speaker, writer and artist.
His pursuits included a medical doctorate, professorship of zoology, studies in biology, and taxonomy and painting. Haeckel embraced Darwinism and was the inventor of the family tree scientific concept that was used in textbooks up until the seventies.
I had not heard of Ernst Haeckel in my 45 years of reading and I was mildly intrigued with the influences he made to many schools of thought in later generations. His work is credited in many fields and ideologies. He coined scientific words used today. Ecology and phylum to name two. Another contribution is his "Art Forms in Nature" first published in 1862. More on that later. Haeckel traveled to study the biological world. He named thousands of species between 1859-1887.
Plate 84 * Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel
Diatoms
The Young Man Ernst Haeckel
He took some time to decide what is life work would be.
Ernst Haeckel graduates from high school in 1852 and begins medical studies. He is introduced to marine biology and takes expeditions as an assistant studying marine life. In 1858 he is licensed as a general practitioner and opens his own practice, but tentatively takes a teaching position at Jena.He painted watercolors during 1859 and is now thinking of being a landscape painter or a scientist. He opts for zoology and remains a professor at Jena for 47 years. He writes his friend "life is anything but tedious owing to nature's inexhaustible richness which...produces ever new, beautiful and fascinating forms that provide new material to speculate and ponder over, to draw and describe.... in addition to the scientific element, it involves artistic matters to a large degree."
Haeckel Spends a Lifetime at the University of Jena
He works on art, zoology and thought
His papers were richly illustrated with his own work. His work proved him a scientist and an artist. Haeckel arranged and enhanced his subjects with symmetry and the style of the day. His approach was of the Art Nouveau style that was becoming popular during the Romantic Movement. Certainly his Art Forms in Nature help cement the Art Nouveau look. Designers and architects of the day used his art in many of their own creations.This was a researcher in science and an artist. His career left more than 1000 drawings and plates. Art Forms in Nature was comprised of 100 plates in subscription form offered 10 at a time starting in 1904.
In 1907 he lays the corner stone of the Phyletic Museum. The museum was exclusively financed by Haeckel and donated funds.
The Marine Biological Laboratory has a good site about Haeckel. Short biography, introduction and taxonomy page gives a good overview of Ernst Haeckel. Also includes plate notes from Haeckel's original publication. The Marine Biological Laboratory, Ernest Haeckel.
Fish form Plate 42 Arts Forms in Nature
1900 Paris Exposition Entrance gates by Rene Binet based on Haeckel's radiolarian drawings.
Design for glass chandelier Oceanographic Museum, Monaco taken from Plate 88.
The Museum was built in 1910.
Museum picture from official website Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
Please leave a comment if you have visited the Museum and if this chandelier indeed hangs there.
Plate 88 * Art Forms in Nature
Disk Jellies
Medusa
New version of the Medusa by Timothy Horn made of rubber. Fantastic. See news clip and photo site at toddhosfelt's Weblog 
Nature as Art
Haeckel Enjoyed Nature
The Romantic Movement was marked by the acceptance of emotions as a valid experience. Today such an idea is everyday life. American culture experiences awe through travel and new sights, horror, such as in "horror movies", fright in thrill rides, and amazement like in political news and TV magazine shows.As a young man Haeckel approached a life's work in a romantic sense. To be truthful not every individual has that chance. To study marine life as a zoologist and then put those studies to an art form was, I imagine, very exciting.
John Audubon perused this very method of art and art distribution with his "Birds of America" 1837-1839. Haeckels Plates 72, 74, 92 and 99 are very reminiscent of Audubon's work. Art Nouveau was already a trend and Haeckel borrowed heavily from it for his Art Forms in Nature. Applying this way of seeing nature was a good fit because detail could be utilized to the fullest.
A certain level of fascination is present in each plate and detail draws you in much like the "find the hidden object" games in a child's magazine. Ernst Haeckel was awed by nature and made it available to the middle class for study and enjoyment.
Own Your Own Info on Haeckel
Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel (Monographs)
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 01/01/2010) 
Art Forms From The Ocean: The Radiolarian Atlas Of 1862
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 01/01/2010)
Haeckel's Art Forms from Nature CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art)
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 01/01/2010)
The Tragic Sense of Life: Ernst Haeckel and the Struggle over Evolutionary Thought
Amazon Price: $38.03 (as of 01/01/2010)
The Riddle of the Universe (Great Minds Series)
Amazon Price: $15.98 (as of 01/01/2010)
All 100 Plates Available to Everyone
Haeckel Plates on Wikimedia
All the plates of Ernst Haeckel's Art Forms in Nature are available on Wikimedia Commons.The site is at Haeckel on Wikimedia.
For a review about the new book "The Tragic Sense of Life: Ernest Haeckel and the Struggle Over Evolutionary Thought" by Robert J. Richards visit P D Smith.
Plate 62 at right.
Computer Art Based on Haeckel
Crazy kaleidoscope based on Plate 85. Ascidians.
Thank you for reading about Ernst Haeckel.
I will appreciate your comments.
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- palaceofglass palaceofglass Nov 8, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
- Great lens with beautiful art pieces. 5 stars from me.
Glass Decoration
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- drifter0658 drifter0658 Aug 21, 2009 @ 9:48 am
- What color! Normally, I would be put off by so much busy....but this work is extraordinary.
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- spirituality spirituality Jul 14, 2009 @ 8:17 am
- Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
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- papawu papawu Jun 15, 2009 @ 8:25 pm
- This is the first I have ever heard of him, let alone seen any of his work. At first look, I feel like he should have been illustrating for Jules Verne or something like that, but on closer examination, his work is far too elaborate and intricate to have been showcased in a mere book. He seems to have had an almost Dali like stroke, but with emphasis on nature and things you may find in the deep sea. I am no judge of art, mind you. My parents were the ones with an artistic eye, but his brush strokes speaks to me vividly and that is something which an artistic novice such as myself can definitely appreciate. I appreciate your lens on him as well.
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- WindyWinters WindyWinters Jun 15, 2009 @ 6:23 pm
- Great Lens! 5* What a nice tribute to Ernest Haeckel! His artwork is very quite unique. It certainly reflects his love of the ocean! Thanks for sharing! :)
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Plate 27 Comb-bearing Jellyfish
Plate 92 Ferns by Ernst Haeckel
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