L'art et la science de Ernst Haeckel

by Rainer Willmann, Julia Voss

Biologiste et naturaliste allemand évolutionniste, Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) fut aussi artiste, philosophe et médecin, et a passé sa vie à étudier la flore et la faune, des plus hauts sommets au plus profond des océans. Fervent défenseur et promoteur de la théorie de l'évolution de Darwin, il dénonça les dogmes religieux, rédigea des traités philosophiques, obtint un doctorat en zoologie et inventa des termes scientifiques comme «écologie», «phylum» ou «cellule souche», aujourd'hui d'usage courant.Au centre de l'immense héritage de Haeckel figure son ambition de ne pas seulement explorer les choses, mais de les expliquer. Il conçut ainsi des centaines de dessins, d'aquarelles et d'esquisses détaillés de ses découvertes qu'il fit publier en plusieurs volumes, dont des recueils consacrés aux organismes marins et un particulièrement imposant, Kunstformen der Natur (Formes artistiques de la nature), clé de voûte de tout le travail de Haeckel. Encyclopédie rigoureuse illustrée consacrée aux êtres vivants, l'oeuvre de Haeckel est remarquable pour sa précision graphique et ses nuances fidèles à la réalité autant que pour sa compréhension de l'évolution biologique. Des chauves-souris aux méduses, des lézards aux lichens, sans oublier les pattes des araignées et les anémones de mer, le scientifique a souligné la symétrie fondamentale et l'ordre de la nature, décelant une beauté organique dans la moindre de ses créatures.

Cet ouvrage rend hommage à l'importance du travail de Haeckel pour la science, l'art et l'environnement à travers une sélection de 300 planches issues de certains de ses plus importants volumes consacrés à la biologie marine, dont Die Radiolarien, Monographie der Medusen, Die Kalkschwämme, ainsi que Kunstformen der Natur. À l'heure où la biodiversité est sans cesse menacée par les activités humaines, ce livre offre à la fois un chef-d'oeuvre graphique, une exploration du monde sous-marin et un éloquent rappel de la précieuse variété de la vie.

Genres: Art, Science, Nonfiction, Nature, History, Biology, Art History

512 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perusing this monolith of fascinating drawings and articles while "enjoying" the dubious charms of CNN & whiskey or reality tv & weed, staring gape-mouthed at the often beautifully colored and always intricately drawn and mainly microscopic creatures, most of which looked variously cthulhic, chthonic, oleaginously intestinal, gorgeously alien, disturbingly sexual, and/or bizarrely hallucinatory, was an often personally instructive experience: I was reminded and reassured that there existed an entire otherworld that did not include petty, vindictive, self-destructive human beings. Three cheers for the weird wonders of nature!

My favorite, the amusingly named Discomedusae:

[Theo Waskönig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with some 80 pages of text about the life and career of Ernst Haeckel, a German biologist turned artist turned philosopher who lived at the end of the 19th century. The following 200ish pages show excerpts from his major works where he documented small marine biology in elaborate drawings.

I did not know of Haeckel and it was interesting to read that he seems to have had a lasting impact of biology and genealogy, promoting Darwin’s new Evolutionary theory and later lobbying for the separation of religion from science and thus education.

The real reason one might read this book are the drawings of the marine biology, drawn by hand by Haeckel who was using the best microscopes of the time he had access to because of his relationship with Carl Zeiss. The drawings are hauntingly beautiful, incredibly accurate and seem terribly modern.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book on the works and life of Ernst Haeckel. This was a great gift from my boss. This book is MASSIVE, and weighs a lot (probably 2 kilos?). The images are of high quality. Really nice to just look through with a coffee and feel inspired by the beautiful drawings.

[Ralph Zoontjens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book about Ernst Haeckel's life and work bar none.
400 full-color pages of his illustrations of medusa, siphonophores, sponges, radiolaria etc. etc.
It is clear how Haeckel has been a core inspiration for art movements such as Art Nouveau and Jugendstil. Still today, I feel biologically-inspired aesthetics are relevant in a world where we are only starting to learn about viral behavior and synthetic biology. Another nice compendium by Taschen with lots of details about the man himself, including the controversial aspects of his race segregation ideas. Haeckel was a man of science but also an artist in love with zoology. This book also contains many plates from Kunstformen der Natur / Art Forms in Nature, so if you are considering it, buy this one instead. The only thing left to desire is larger format prints.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. I was gifted this copy by my granny, who thought I'd have fun trying to copy the prints. I usually don't dabble with nonfiction, but in the spirit of branching out and to my granny's dismay, I actually read the book instead of painstakingly mimicking the geometric, meticulous draftsmanship of Haekel. At first, I was daunted by the length and the...weight. But I soon realized a majority of the bulk was attributed to the gorgeous prints tucked between the pages. I'd recommend this book to most people, especially those who appreciate eye candy and dead Germans who married their cousins.

[Rickeclectic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing nature artwork from a 19th century artist-biologist. The copy I have is extensive set of pictures (the book is over 500 pages with pix on almost every page). The only problem is the book is very small form factor (about 7x9 inches). It needs to be about four times that size. Otherwise, very neat stuff.

[Umberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Setting aside the figure of the author and his political beliefs, it is moving to look at the works of someone who was deeply moved by nature. The book is simply a showcase of his works with descriptions that are by no means exhaustive. It is very well bound and organized, not so much by historical period but rather by grouping of organisms. The works of the father of ecology range from the microworld (which is predominant) to aquatic environments, and to those of insects and animals.

[LukaMelArt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologic work gathered in a superbly edited book with high-quality illustrations, for a surprisingly affordable price. Ernst Haeckel's lifelong dedication in the scientific area was not only a milestone in Biology, but also in Art.

[Giov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Est-il possible de faire autant de choses en une vie?

[davidvnun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each page a delight

[Austin Nielson]

Gotta be one of the prettiest books I own.

[Rhonda Hankins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite. Gorgeous reproductions of colorful drawings rich in detail. Beautifully produced. This book is a treasure.