Buzz
His artwork brought the marvels of evolution to a vast audience.
"Nature gives birth to an endless array of marvelous forms," wrote the German biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel, "whose beauty and diversity far surpass the creations of human craftsmanship." Born in 1834, Haeckel was profoundly inspired by the naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who believed that nature should be examined through both scientific and artistic lenses. After encountering Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, Haeckel set out to present the wonders of evolution to the public. His illustrations of swirling jellyfish, intricate radiolaria, delicate orchids, and lively hummingbirds, gathered in his 1904 work Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature), showcased the unity of art and the natural world. These motifs later became a cornerstone of the Art Nouveau movement.
The new book The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel (Taschen) compiles 450 breathtaking examples from Haeckel's many published works, including the plates featured in this gallery. As editors Rainer Willmann and Julia Voss mention in the introduction, "Haeckel's illustrated works consistently evoked one dominant response: astonishment at the extraordinary beauty of nature's creations."
1. CNIDARIA-SIPHONOPHORA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 7 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENSiphonophores are colonial organisms within the Cnidaria phylum, which also includes jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones.
2. CNIDARIA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 8 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThese jellyfish are part of the Cnidaria phylum. Haeckel named Desmonema annasethe (center) in memory of his first wife shortly after her passing.
3. CNIDARIA-SIPHONOPHORA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 17 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThis plate illustrates a variety of siphonophores from the Cnidaria phylum. All these organisms were discovered and named by Haeckel.
4. CNIDARIA-SCYPHOZOA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 28 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThis plate features true jellyfish from the class Scyphozoa.
5. ECHINODERMATA-ECHINOIDEA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 30 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThese sea urchins are part of the phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea.
6. VERTEBRATA-ACTINOPTERYGII
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 42 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThese ray-finned fishes are classified under the class Actinopterygii.
7. MOLLUSCA-CEPHALOPODA-AMMONOIDEA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 44 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENSpiral-shelled ammonites are a group of extinct marine mollusks within the subclass Ammonoidea.
8. CNIDARIA-ANTHOZOA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 49 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThis plate depicts a colony of sea anemones, often called "flower-like animals," from the class Anthozoa.
9. MOLLUSCA-GASTROPODA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 53 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThis plate displays the shells of a group of marine snails in the class Gastropoda, which also includes slugs.
10. ANGIOSPERMAE-NEPENTHACEAE
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 62 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThis group of tropical pitcher plants from the family Nepenthaceae are carnivorous.
11. AMPHIBIA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 68 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThis plate highlights the similarities among frogs in the class Amphibia.
12. MUSCINAE
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 72 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENDuring Haeckel's era, these mosses were known as Muscinae. Today, they are classified under the division Bryophyta.
13. ANGIOSPERMAE-ORCHIDACEAE
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 74 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThis plate presents examples of orchids from the family Orchidaceae, one of the largest families of flowering plants.
14. TUNICATA
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 85 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENTunicates are marine invertebrates that belong to the subphylum Tunicata.
15. SAUROPSIDA-AVES
ART FORMS IN NATURE, 1899–1904, PLATE 99 © TASCHEN KÖLN/NIEDERSÄCHSISCHE STAATS- UND UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK GÖTTINGENThe class Aves encompasses tropical hummingbirds.
