Art Forms in Nature: 22 Pull-Out Posters

by Ernst Haeckel, Kira Uthoff (Editor)

Perfect for display or close observation, the posters in this elegantly produced collection of Ernst Haeckel's exquisite illustrations of natural forms demonstrate his exceptional artistry.

Biologist, physician, philosopher, and artist, Ernst Haeckel was also a prescient observer of the natural world. His highly detailed and expertly rendered illustrations, first published at the turn of the 20th century, are not only beautiful works of art, but also have scientific underpinnings. Now available as a series of large format posters sumptuously printed and suitable for framing, Haeckel's most elaborate and captivating works illustrate his fundamental notion of the unity of all living things. From otherworldly radiolaria to psychedelic sea anemones, Haeckel's science and artistry continue to provide inspiration for 21st-century illustrators, architects, graphic designers, and anyone interested in exploring nature's perfect geometry.

46 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2019

About the author

Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (February 16, 1834 – August 9, 1919), also written von Haeckel, was an eminent German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor 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, stem cell, and the kingdom Protista. Haeckel promoted and popularized Charles Darwin's work in Germany and developed the controversial recapitulation theory ("ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny") claiming that an individual organism's biological development, or ontogeny, parallels and summarizes its species' evolutionary development, or phylogeny.

The published artwork of Haeckel includes over 100 detailed, multi-colour illustrations of animals and sea creatures (see: Kunstformen der Natur, "Art Forms of Nature"). As a philosopher, Ernst Haeckel wrote Die Welträtsel (1895–1899, in English, The Riddle of the Universe, 1901), the genesis for the term "world riddle" (Welträtsel); and Freedom in Science and Teaching to support teaching evolution.