Ernst Haeckel’s masterpiece, Art Forms in Nature (Kunstformen der Natur), remains a milestone in the art of illustration to this day. Haeckel focuses on what many overlook: the tiny creatures of the seas. His depictions of jellyfish (medusae), calcareous sponges, and radiolarians (radiolaria) possess an almost hypnotic symmetry.
On each plate, Haeckel arranges his motifs so masterfully that they appear as ornaments. He searches for the ideal form – the divine geometry within the water. In doing so, he goes so far that critics have accused him of “embellishing” reality. Yet, for Haeckel, the truth of nature lies in its aesthetic perfection.
Text: Gerhard Groebe | Images: Public domain
