Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science, and the Visual Arts

Charles Darwin’s revolutionary theories of evolution and natural selection have not only had a profound influence on the fields of biology and natural history, but also provided fertile territory for the creative imagination. This lavishly illustrated book accompanies an exhibition organized by the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, in association with the Yale Center for British Art, that will coincide with the global celebration of the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859).

The essays in this exceptionally wide-ranging book examine both the profound impact that Darwin’s ideas had on European and American artists and the ways in which his theories were influenced by the visual traditions he inherited. In works by artists as diverse as Church, Landseer, Liljefors, Heade, Redon, Cézanne, Lear, Tissot, Rossetti, and Monet, from imaginative projections of prehistory to troubled evocations of a life dominated by the struggle for existence, Darwin’s sense of the interplay of all living things and his response to the beauties of the natural world proved inspirational.

Charles Darwin’s revolutionary theories of evolution and natural selection have not only had a profound influence on the fields of biology and natural history, but also provided fertile territory for the creative imagination. This lavishly illustrated book accompanies an exhibition organized by the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, in association with the Yale Center for British Art, that will coincide with the global celebration of the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859).

The essays in this exceptionally wide-ranging book examine both the profound impact that Darwin’s ideas had on European and American artists and the ways in which his theories were influenced by the visual traditions he inherited. In works by artists as diverse as Church, Landseer, Liljefors, Heade, Redon, Cézanne, Lear, Tissot, Rossetti, and Monet, from imaginative projections of prehistory to troubled evocations of a life dominated by the struggle for existence, Darwin’s sense of the interplay of all living things and his response to the beauties of the natural world proved inspirational.

Nancy J. Mactague - Library Journal

The current divide between the arts and sciences didn't exist in the Victorian era, and this facilitated extensive interest among the general public in Darwin's work. Darwin's keen powers of observation, interest in behavior patterns, and ability to generalize from specific examples allowed him to formulate his theories. The extent of his influence upon artists is shown in the 250 in-text images, illustrating artistic responses to Darwin, in this companion book to an exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum (Univ. of Cambridge). Donald (Picturing Animals in Britain) and Munro (senior keeper of paintings, drawings, & prints, Fitzwilliam Museum) assembled 12 easily understood essays (with endnotes) by experts in art, photography, medicine, and science exemplifying artistic themes to which Darwin's view of nature relates. They also offer a thematic bibliography, notes on contributors, and a list of lenders to the exhibition. Recent related books include Phillip Prodger's Darwin's Camera: Art and Photography in the Theory of Evolution and Rae Beth Gordon's Dances with Darwin, 1875-1910: Vernacular Modernity in France. Recommended for special, academic, and public libraries.

Diana Donald is the former Head of the Department of History of Art and Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. Jane Munro is Senior Assistant Keeper of Paintings, Drawings, and Prints at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.