Cape Cod Museum Hosts : Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 12:45

Dennis, MA - Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) was the German scientist who first coined the terms “Darwinism” and “ecology.”  After reading Darwin’s “Origin of Species,” Haeckel became one of the more prolific and vociferous supporters of evolution, but was less supportive of natural selection as the mechanism by which evolution occurred.  He was first to postulate a “missing link” between ape and man and was proven correct when Java man was found in 1891.

Haeckel was also an accomplished artist.  His idol was Goethe, who maintained that art as well as science could unearth the underlying truths of nature.  Haeckel traveled far and wide, from Sicily to Ceylon, to the North Sea, and beyond.  Sketchpads and watercolors 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 colored lithographs were produced for publication in his 1904 Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature.).  This work is considered one of the marvels of 19^th century naturalist illustration.  With their sinuous lines and tendency to idealize 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.  In science, where artistic license is often called fraud, Haeckel’s reputation was sorely tarnished.

This exhibition, curated by Ann Weissmann, Exhibitions Curator, MBLWHOI Library, presents a selection of digitized reproductions of the remarkable illustrations in the two-volume Art Forms in Nature.  They have been culled from the holdings of the rare book collection of the MBLWHOI Library.  David Remsen, Paul Sweet, Jen Walton, and Kurt Fuglister have also assisted in creating this exhibition.