Art Forms in Nature: Prints of Ernst Haeckel

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Gorgeous prints, as virtually everyone agrees, but the first of the two introductory essays really fell flat.

In addition to being marvelous renderings, these plates have long been noted for the peculiar emotional appeal that they have for most viewers, a premonition of surrealism with exotic organic life forms stretching back to their roots in the inorganic, and individual details drawn with awareness of subtle evolutionary changes and millennia-long developments. it had been badly trimmed so that approximately one inch of the outer edge of every page was missing. This volume is comprised of 100 illustrated plates featuring stunning watercolour paintings and pencil sketches. One prominent example is the Amsterdam Commodities Exchange designed by Hendrik Petrus Berlage: it was in part inspired by Kunstformen illustrations.This was really great, but most importantly it will last -- for archiving, referencing, modifications, not just a book that'll sit on the shelf once perused -- all made easy with access to these lithographs. Some people have bought it to give them inspiration in their drawings, which I'm sure it does, I bought it to see if it would give me inspiration to do some unusual woodworking pieces, it does that too. He regarded the human soul with its inborn characteristics of reason as a ready-made being and did not inquire into its historical origins . The Kunstformen contains 100 beautiful lithographic plates which show a multitude of unusual life forms: Radiolaria, Foraminifera, and other forms of microscopic life; jellyfishes, starfishes, calcareous sponges, star corals, barnacles, and other sea life; mosses, lichens, red algae, ferns, fungi, orchids, and other plants; and turtles, moths, spiders, bats, frogs, lizards, hummingbirds, and antelope. There are some pictures of coral skeletons that instantly transport the reader to a somber world; and then there is an explosion of color and movement in plant and living coral.

There are some works based on corals that remind you immediately of the gene lamps of the oriental tales; the reproduction of the "ostracionte kafferfishe" is so majestic that it resembles some of the decorations in queens and kings crowns.Haeckel recognized beauty in every aspect of nature, even the ones who could be perceived as scary or insignificant. Inspiration for the nature-lover, artist, or those like me who like to simply gaze in wonder at the infinite diversity and beauty, of lifeforms. In addition to being marvelous renderings, these plates have long been noted for the peculiar emotional appeal that they have for most viewers, a premonition of surrealism with exotic organic life forms stretching back to their roots in the inorganic, and individual details drawn with awareness of subtle evolutionary changes and millennia-long developments. There is a long queue of people who have this on reserve at the library, and the copy I have is almost due, so I can’t keep perusing it. Rene Binet, a pioneer of glass and iron constructions, Emile Galle, a renowned Art Nouveau designer, and the photographer Karl Blossfeld all make explicit reference to Haeckel in their work.