Robert Hooke's Micrographia

In the seventeenth century, Robert Hooke, the Polymath English Natural Philosopher who has been referred to as England's Leonardo da Vinci, brilliantly opened the eyes of the world to aspects of our universe that had before been invisible. He made some of the first detailed drawings of microscopic life. He coined the term 'cell' to describer the small segments he discovered when looking at a slice of cork . An Engineer of Microscopes, he documented what he saw in his inventions by means of written descriptions and beautiful drawing. Some of these were published in 1964 in a beautiful book entitle Micrographia. His achievements in Micrographia were balanced by his discoveries in Cosmology, measuring the distances between planets and describing the rings around Saturn, amongst other marvels.

Imagined Worlds II: Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini

Luigi Sarafini published his two volume codex in 1981. His mysterious drawings and language fill the 254 pages of the two volumes. Here are a few excerpts form the codex.

Imagined Worlds: J G Ballard and Max Ernst

Max Ernst, Europe after the rain

Max Ernst, The Eye of Silence

Science, Art, Evolution and imagining life: Alexander Semenov, Ernst Haeckel and Darwin

I first saw the image bellow posted on facebook by the eminent neurologist Oliver Sacks. 

Photograph of a Sea Angle by Alexander Semenov

'What a great digital artwork,' I thought to myself, as it reminded me of characters from Japanese cartoons I’d seen; like an aquatic Pokemon. But no, it is a photograph of a living creature called a sea angel taken by Alexander Semenov. It is one of the many beautiful images he has captured of bizarre, wonderful creatures that exist below the surfaces of our seas. Semenov is a brilliant photographer as well as a marine biologist. He is just one of many scientist who delve into artistic endeavours to elucidate the marvels of his discoveries. Throughout history science and art have merged to create a bigger picture of our reality. In many circumstances, it has been by means of this merging that our fascination is drawn more deeply into the nature of life. 

The images of the Hubbell telescope, rendered in artistic detail play no small part in broadening our interest and understanding of what is beyond our planet.

In the 19th and 20th centuries Ernst Haeckel created magnificent drawings of a rarely seen diversity of life under the seas and above land are. As well as a brilliant artist Haeckel was a biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician and Darwinist. His detailed representations of living organisms are a testament to the importance of image in understanding. They, furthermore, stand alone as breathtakingly beautiful pictures to feast the eye upon. If, at the same time, we recognise that they are representations of life on our planet I, for one, am thrown into awe: they inspire me to imagination.

Drawings of microscopic life 

by Ernst Haeckel

Darwin also used drawings to illustrate his ideas. Not as an accomplished artists as Haeckel but still capable. Through his drawings the fundamental concepts of evolution become more clear. By looking at the work of Haeckel and Semenov we can see to what extent evolution is capable of reaching. 

Charles Darwin's drawing of finches, 

illustrating the evolutionary links between different types

It is becoming less and less questionable whether life exists beyond Earth. The overwhelming consensus is that it must. Still we are, seemingly,  barely aware of the extent of diversity of life we share this planet with. Still, not knowing what all exists on our own planet, we are capable of imagining life that may exist beyond; or that we may even play a hand in creating. As our societies change and technology develops, evolution may be shifting away from natural selection’s survival of the fittest to new kinds of life specialised by human inclinations. But we mustn't forget that as much as we affect nature, it will affect us.

Drawing by Timothy B Layden of imagine life 

- inspired in the work of Ernst Haeckel