Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel

I'm very much interested in geometric patterns, nature (mostly flowers and sea-life), and intricate design, so I thought I would pick this book up for my reference library in my art studio.Normally when I receive new books I kind of shelve them and look through them when I have a chance, but as soon as I took this out of the box I wound up looking through it for hours. I couldn't help myself. It's just so weird and cool and amazing. The drawings are absolutely scientific, and when you glance at a page you know you are looking at a scientific drawing (this is not a traditional art book!) but the details are *AMAZING*. Mind-blowing. I could look at this book for hours. And come away totally inspired. It just made me want to grab my technical pens and sketchbook and draw for hours.This is such a cool book. I can't recommend it enough.

The book contains over 100 plates of stunning, crisp artwork by Ernst Häckel. He is amazing. The foreword is informative of his process and the purpose of the book, and gives some insight on how this book helped Darwin in his theories. It's awesome to know that these two greats knew each other.The book contains images of mostly plants and sea life that demonstrate the geometric patterns in nature. The color is flawless, the pages are thick and sturdy, and each image is amazing. There are no pixelated, poorly blown-up images in this book. If you're an art lover like me, or seek drawing inspiration, this is a book for you! It's a perfect coffee table book.I wish there were more explanations of the creatures in this book, but even with almost no text, the book stands out!

This is the second publication I have bought of this volume -- the first one some years ago. I appreciate the essay in this one that addresses the newer concepts of "neurobiology" that link art and science. (I realize in the rapidly developing field of neurobiology there are more recent explanations, but the descriptions in here still are valuable for beginning an introspective trip through these forms... The plates are reproduced beautifully and if one studies the basic concept of the drawings it awakens interesting and important thoughts about biological principles of structure and function (which is what drove Haeckel to devote so much of his life to these.)

This is such a lovely book, I just HAD to let all you readers know. I didn't know anything about Haeckel (never even heard of the man.....), when I ordered this book. I just loved his drawing of the Medusa on the cover, and couldn't resist buying it, and boy, am I glad that I did..... There is such a quiet beauty in these plates.The book is also published by Dover (see my review there), without any accompanying text (apart from a short publishers's note), and with all the plates printed in black and white.In this book, many of the plates are printed 'in color' (either different hues of one color, or a color scheme based on two colors). The book also has a highly informative article on Haeckel and his times, and on those that were influenced by him.I find it very hard to explain what exactly makes these plates so wonderfully beautiful. It is partly the symmetry of their composition, and the way in which they render the beauty of nature. The article in the book itself describes it very well:"What is it that Haeckel depicts here that is so beautiful? It is the beauty of ornament. The forms illustrated in these pages seem to fit seamlessly into the repertoire of Art Nouveau forms. [........] Haeckel's approach did not determine Art Nouveau, instead Art Nouveau's approach determined Haeckel's. What ensued was a symbiosis between decorative sketches and descriptive observations of nature [...]."If you are looking for a book on Haeckel and his plates, get this one!

This is a very nice book, nice enough to be left out as a coffee table item. Beautiful reprinting of the original 100 plates with an introduction that I didn't expect. I love it! (Plates have a taxonomy at the end too in several languages.)

Simply amazing. I first saw this book in a Gaudi gift store in Barcelona. Awed by how the creations of Antoni Gaudi were inspired by nature, I returned from my visit and bought this right away. The illustrations are awesome! This is a great resource not only for artists and nature lovers, but also anyone who needs a bit of "refreshment" to get their creative juices flowing. I'm a designer, my husband's a chef, and this book will definitely be one of our go-to creative bibles.

I’m using this for framing some of the prints!!It’s so great!!

The author provides sketches of him of some forms in nature. Great inspiration for going out in nature and noticing the beauty in form, shape, and color.

Bought as a gift for an artist who done me a favour. Came arrived in cellophane and the cover was beautiful I couldn't resist opening it, and have decided to buy my own copy. The line drawing illustrations are really beautiful and a great source of inspiration for Lino printing. etching etc. I had just bought this 'on spec', it is a real find and a very reasonable cost given the quality of the paper and printing!

I was not disappointed. A delightful book. I picked this for my son's 11th birthday. He's really into nature, sci-fi and fantasy video games/books and drawing, so I thought it'd be helpful inspiration for the latter.The introductory section is detailed and well-written (for an older audience than my son, of course) but Haeckel's images speak clearly without the need for explanation. The meticulous detail of the plates is astounding. Each page features a symmetrical arrangement of etchings of related species of various classes of organism. Expect to see pages devoted to seaweeds, seaslugs, jellyfish, crustaceans, bats, fish and reptiles for example. And while these are conceptually familiar, in Haeckel's rendering they are bizarre and other-worldly. The spatial arrangement of organisms enhances the feeling of design, which is evocative of Art Nouveau style or some William Morris wallpapers. There's a mix of monochromatic and exquisite colour images and the book itself is substantial.I can't imagine anyone not being awed and fascinated by this collection of engravings. It could change the way you look at the natural world and is surely great inspiration for artists and designers. My son loved it.

The Illustrations in the book are beautiful and the book itself is very good quality. The delivery was incredibly fast! Less of 24 hours!

If you're so interested in this book that you've made it to the reviews then just buy it. It's a fascinating collection of illustrations that are beautiful to behold. The man was an artist without compare.

Beautiful!!!Amazing drawings of exceptional detail, every time I look through it I see something I din't the time before.Some people have bought it to give them inspiration in their drawings, which I'm sure it does, I bought it to see if it would give me inspiration to do some unusual woodworking pieces, it does that too.Even if you're not an artist in any kind of medium be it pencil, paint, wood, clay or crayon, this is a book worth looking at and going 'ooooh' over.