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[[Afbeelding:Haeckel Discomedusae 8.jpg|thumb|De 8ste editie, [[Discomedusae]]. De twee centrale figuren zijn ''Desmonema annasethe''; de tentakels herrinerden Haeckel aan het lange golvende haar van zijn vrouw.]]
'''''Kunstformen der Natur''''' ([[Duits]]: ''kunstvormen der Natuur'') is een boek met [[lithografie|lithografische]] prenten van de [[Duitsland|Duitse]] bioloog [[Ernst Haeckel]]. De set bestaat uit 100 prenten van verschillende organismen, waarvan velen door Haeckel zelf voor het eerst beschreven. De oorspronlijk gepublicatie was in setten van tien tussen 1899 en 1904 en als compleet volume in 1904. OverEen thetweede courseeditie of his career, over 1000 [[engraving]]s were produced based on Haeckel's [[sketch (drawing)|sketch]]es and [[watercolor]]s; many of the best of these were chosen forvan ''Kunstformen der Natur'', translatedmet fromslechts sketch30 toof printthe by lithographer Adolf Giltsch.<ref>Breidbachprentem, ''Visionswerd ofuitgegeven Nature'',in pp 253</ref>1924.
According to Haeckel scholar Olaf Breidbach (the editor of modern editions of ''Kunstformen''), the work was "not just a book of illustrations but also the summation of his view of the world." The over-riding themes of the ''Kunstformen'' plates are symmetry and organization. The subjects were selected to embody organization, from the scale patterns of [[boxfish]]es to the spirals of [[ammonite]]s to the perfect symmetries of jellies and microorganisms, while images composing each plate are arranged for maximum visual impact.<ref>Breidbach, ''Visions of Nature'', pp 229-231</ref>
Among the notable prints are numerous [[radiolarian]]s, which Haeckel helped to popularize among amateur microscopists; at least one example is found in almost every set of 10. [[Cnidaria]] also feature prominently throughout the book, including [[sea anemones]] as well as [[Siphonophorae]], [[Semaeostomeae]], and other [[medusa (biology)|medusae]]. The first set included ''Desmonema annasethe'' (now ''[[Cyanea annasethe]]''), a particularly stunning [[jellyfish]] that Haeckel observed and described shortly after the death of his wife Anna Sethe.
''Kunstformen der Natur'' was influential in early 20th century art, architecture, and design, bridging the gap between science and art. In particular, many artists associated with [[Art Nouveau]] were influenced by Haeckel's images, including [[René Binet (artist)|René Binet]], [[Karl Blossfeldt]], [[Hans Christiansen]], and [[Émile Gallé]]. One prominent example is the [[Beurs van Berlage|Amsterdam Commodities Exchange]] designed by [[Hendrik Petrus Berlage]], which was in part inspired by ''Kunstformen'' illustrations.<ref>Breidbach, ''Visions of Nature'', pp 231, 268-269</ref>
A second edition of ''Kunstformen'', containing only 30 of the prints, was produced in 1924.
== Gallerij van prenten ==
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