86. Ernst Haeckel - The Art Forms of Nature

Leipzig 1899 ff. Ernst Haeckel has undertaken to describe the inexhaustible abundance

wonderful forms that nature lends to its organic creations and "whose beauty and diversity far surpass all man-made art forms" in a work, the first edition of which is now available. "The Art Forms of Nature" is the title of the work, which will initially comprise five deliveries with fifty plates (the booklet of ten plates) and which, if it is well received, will be extended by a further ten booklets. Once ten volumes have been completed, Haeckel intends to publish a general introduction to the work, which will contain a systematic arrangement of all groups of forms. Haeckel accompanies the first volume of this interesting work with a foreword, from which we take the following words: "Since my earliest youth, captivated by the charm of the forms of living creatures and for half a century fond of morphological studies, I have not only endeavoured to recognize the laws of their design and development, but also to penetrate deeper into the mystery of their beauty by drawing and painting. On numerous journeys spanning a period of forty-five years, I got to know all the countries and coasts of Europe and also worked for long periods on the most interesting shores of northern Africa and southern Asia. Thousands of figures which I have drawn from nature on these scientific journeys have already been published in my larger monographs; I intend to publish another part on this occasion. I will also endeavor to compile the most beautiful and aesthetically valuable forms from the extensive literature."