The initial profession of Jean Baptiste Vérany focused on drug store. The 19th-century Frenchman soon discovered his attention drawn to something else: the sea. Particularly, Vérany was interested in cephalopods.
The story starts when Vérany embarked on a research study expedition with Franco Andrea Bonelli, a preeminent ornithologist and entomologist. This exploration spurred Véranys interest in zoology and he never ever looked back.
A spectacular collection of cephalopod art
He had currently started publishing some notable art. In specific, one representation did a fantastic job at highlighting the subtle, shifting shade of the cephalopod skin. Even now, the chromatophores that shift the octopus colors are poorly comprehended; at that time, they were mainly strange.
However it wasnt just the art itself that drew admiration, but likewise the technology behind the procedure.
Born in Nice, France, Vérany had a draw towards marine animals. By 1834, he was already focusing on the study of cephalopods– a group that includes eight-armed octopuses, the eight-armed and two tentacled squids and cuttlefishes, and the shelled chambered nautiluses.
” Despite having no practice at lithography and no understanding of chromolithography, I introduced myself, with courage and confidence, into this business … Thanks to trial and mistake and persistence, I have frequently prospered in depicting the softness and openness that identify these animals.
It was quite a bold business. As Vérany himself remembered later, he was unsure what he was carrying out in the beginning, but still leapt in with confidence.
When Vérany would go on to release a collection of illustrations, things really took off in 1851. Mollusques méditeranéens: observès, decrits, figurès et chromolithographies daprès le vivant was an extraordinary book for its time. The book includes 41 chromolithographs of living sea creatures and a few of the more striking art of octopuses and squids youll see.
What is particularly impressive about Véranys representations is the ethereal aspect of the cephalopods. This drew the attention of many leading biologists of the time, consisting of Ernst Haeckel, who developed most likely the most famous octopus art of all time.
Chromolithographs and octopuses
Chromolithography is a color printing strategy that evolved from the procedure of lithography. It was developed in the 19th century and was the first method for printing in color that was both capable and reasonably cost effective of high-volume production. To put it simply, it was the first mass-production color printing available to humanity.
Like lithography, the technique uses the principle that oil and water do not mix. However while lithography works just with one color, chromolithography utilizes several colors.
Lithography mostly works like this:
An image is drawn with a greasy product (like a special crayon or liquid called tusche) onto a flat surface. This was generally a smooth limestone block, however in contemporary lithography, a metal plate is utilized.
In chromolithography, a separate stone or plate is used for each color that will appear on the print. In the end, this might mean numerous stones for an intricate image. Each stone must be treated and printed onto the paper one at a time, beginning with the lightest and carrying on to the darkest. Its essential that the paper is lined up completely so that the colors overlap completely.
The stone is moistened with water, which is pushed back by the greasy areas however is absorbed in the etched locations.
A notepad is pushed onto the stone, moving the ink and creating the print.
The surface area is then treated with a mixture of acid and gum arabic that etches the locations of the stone not safeguarded by the grease.
Oil-based ink is then rolled onto the stone, which adheres to the greasy image and is pushed back by the water-soaked locations.
The outcome of chromolithography used a depth and richness of colors that were formerly unavailable. For portraying the brilliant world of octopuses, this is just what was needed.
Science and art
His work assisted other biologists and artists at the time get a much better understanding of the squids. Although he was mostly a self-taught biologist, his understanding of color and enthusiasm for marine wildlife produced a distinct mix and tradition that we treasure to this day.
“It was at this moment that I delighted in the amazing phenomenon of the brilliant points whose kinds so extraordinarily decorate the skin of this cephalopod; sometimes it was the brightness of the sapphire which dazzled me; in some cases it was the opaline of the topazes which made it more remarkable; other times these 2 abundant colors confused their magnificent rays. Throughout the night, the opaline points projected a phosphorescent glare, making this mollusk among the most fantastic productions of Nature,” the biologist wrote.
Véranys enthusiasm for the Mediterranean mollusks continued to produce outcomes. He discovered and determined numerous species for the very first time, and in 1846, he founded the Muséum dhistoire naturelle de Nice. This museum is still available to this day.
The preliminary profession of Jean Baptiste Vérany focused on pharmacy. Specifically, Vérany was interested in cephalopods.
Things truly took off in 1851 when Vérany would go on to publish a collection of illustrations. Véranys enthusiasm for the Mediterranean mollusks continued to produce outcomes. Véranys efforts left a lasting tradition.
Theres one episode that the biologist remembered that is particularly telling for how passionate he was. Vérany would typically speak to fishermen and take a look at their catch, and one day, he discovered a red umbrella squid (Histioteuthis Bonelliana) in an anglers web. He took the octopus and placed it in a tub, studying it as it moved about.
Véranys efforts left a lasting tradition. He affected Haeckel and first presented him to cephalopods. He also influenced author Victor Hugo and a number of other artists and researchers at the time.
