The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel

Microbial Marvels

Ernst Haeckel, the 19th-century pioneer who captured the artistic beauty of the natural world

Ernst Haeckel  (1834–1919) was a German-born biologist, naturalist, evolutionist, artist, philosopher, and doctor who  spent his life researching flora and fauna from the highest mountaintops to the deepest ocean. A vociferous supporter and developer of Darwin’s theories of evolution, he denounced religious dogma, authored philosophical treatises, gained a doctorate in zoology, and coined scientific terms which have passed into common usage, including ecology, phylum, and stem cell.

At the heart of Haeckel’s  colossal legacy  was the motivation not only to discover but also to explain. To do this, he created  hundreds of detailed drawings, watercolors, and sketches  of his findings which he published in successive volumes, including several marine organism collections and the majestic  Kunstformen der Natur  (Art Forms in Nature), which could serve as the cornerstone of Haeckel’s entire life project. Like  a meticulous visual encyclopedia of living things, Haeckel’s work was as remarkable for its graphic precision and meticulous shading as for its understanding of organic evolution. From bats to the box jellyfish, lizards to lichen, and spider legs to sea anemones, Haeckel  emphasized the essential symmetries and order of nature,  and found biological beauty in even the most unlikely of creatures.

In this book, we celebrate the  scientific, artistic, and environmental importance  of Haeckel’s work, with a collection of  300 of his finest prints  from several of his most important tomes, including  Die Radiolarien,  Monographie der Medusen,  Die Kalkschwämme, and  Kunstformen der Natur. At a time when biodiversity is increasingly threatened by human activities, the book is at once  a visual masterwork, an underwater exploration, and a  vivid reminder of the precious variety of life.