A handsomely designed visual celebration of artistic and scientific
depictions of insects, lizards and more across the centuries
Crawly creatures: critters, spiders, lizards, toads and, above all,
insects. In the Middle Ages they were mainly associated with death and
the Devil; but in the 16th and 17th centuries, with the emergence of
science, people began to appreciate their beauty, and such creatures
appeared in works of art, became the subject of scholarly treatises and
were popular collectors' items. Artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Wenzel
Jamnitzer, Jan van Kessel and Maria Sibylla Merian created beautiful
depictions of these creatures.
Today, artists are still inspired by "crawly creatures" and continue to
depict new ways of dealing with insects and the natural world. This
richly illustrated publication, designed by Irma Boom, celebrates the
wonders of small creatures and the fascinating relationship between art
and science across the centuries.