What inspires me most about Ernst Haeckel, aside from his vast collection of beautiful illustrations and visual works, is his dedication to science, philosophy and preservation/documentation of the natural world in all its forms. His life's works resonates with me and my core interests as a person and developing practitioner on so many levels and I hope to be able to do nature justice in a similar way within my own work in the future.
*****
About:
Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel
16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919
A 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 Protista. Haeckel promoted and popularised Charles Darwin's work in Germany and developed the influential but no longer widely held recapitulation theory ("ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny") claiming that an individual organism's biological development, or ontogeny, parallels and summarises its species' evolutionary development, or phylogeny.
The published artwork of Haeckel includes over 100 detailed, multi-colour illustrations of animals and sea creatures (see: "Art Forms of Nature"). As a philosopher, Ernst Haeckel wrote 'The Riddle of the Universe', 1901, the genesis for the term "world riddle"; and 'Freedom in Science and Teaching' to support teaching evolution.
Haeckel was an accomplished artist. His idol was Goethe, who maintained that art as well as science could unearth the underlying truths of nature. For both Goethe and Haeckel, morphology had aesthetic roots. Haeckel traveled far and wide, from Sicily to Ceylon, to the North Sea, and beyond. Sketchpads and watercolours accompanied his microscope wherever he went. His on-the-spot drawings of deep-sea vegetation, aquatic creatures, frogs, birds, and higher animals were turned into more than 1000 engravings. From this treasure trove, a selection of 100 coloured lithographs were produced for publication in his 1904 Kunstformen der Natur. This work is considered one of the marvels of 19th century naturalist illustration. With their sinuous lines and tendency to idealise nature, these drawings are also considered a forerunner of the Art Nouveau movement. Indeed Haeckel's most lasting legacy may lie in the field of art.
*****
A brief selection showing the diverse nature, approach & application of botanical & scientific illustration in Ernst work:
Notes:
Ernst work is some of the most inspirational illustration I have come across, not only linking directly with my OUIL505 project in terms of botanical illustration, art forms within nature and environmental science, but also being absolutely mind-blowingly beautiful in every way. The level of skill, craft and attention to detail within his work is astounding and the fact most pieces are over 100 years old goes to show how illustration with substance and meaning can transcend time. This collection of vintage works in particular have a very important job to do, in that every piece tells the story of unique natural forms and organisms whilst documenting their existence for scientific research and exploration. The beauty within the illustrations is just a bonus, drawing in a wide audience - those interested in science, conservation, biological/natural forms as well as those with an appreciation for botanical / classic illustration and true/photorealistic artwork and this is why it is still so popular today. Each illustration, I feel, does nature justice in everyday - staying true to the natural forms found - illuminating each organism in all its glory for the audience, providing interesting, engaging educational reference imagery on subjects not so well known to most.
Key inspiration:
• Illustration with a job to do
• Seemingly obsessive attention to detail - very me
• line work
• play on dimension - 2d vs 3d illustration
• Vintage yet modern, necessary and appropriate throughout history
• Scientifically relevant - meaning and substance behind each piece
• Still used as reference today by scientists, researches and museums for the
documentation of all life forms.
• careful choice of colour scheme throughout each individual plate
• artistic / creative process - master in this
• vignette style "documentation" illustration
• each piece acting as its own "set" of beautiful illustrations
• lets nature and the natural forms tell their own story
• patterns / art forms within nature
• play on scale - Macro, micro etc
• Each a beautiful addition to one of the most inspiring bodies of work by any illustrator in
creative history
Ideas for application (in terms of scientific / botanical illustration):
• posters
• journals / academic reference
• books
• wallpapers
• museum murals
• high quality professional prints / framed artwork
• stationary products (book marks, notebook covers,
• fashionable products (printed t-shirts, tote bags etc..)
No comments:
Post a Comment