Ernst Haeckel, zoologist and artist, was the foremost proponent of evolutionary theory in 19^th-century Europe—more famous in some circles at the time than Charles Darwin. Today, however, Haeckel is mostly known as the foil of creationists, who rightly point out that he manipulated some of his iconic drawings of embryos to strengthen the contemporary case for evolution. Also, Haeckel's pernicious racial views—and their apparent influence on Nazi ideology after his death—have been exploited to dismiss all of his work.

Haeckel deserves closer scrutiny—but not only for his mistakes. His contributions include the discovery of thousands of new species of sea creatures and the development of graphical forms like the evolutionary tree. His fusion of science and art is the subject of the visually stunning film Proteus, by David Lebrun, which had its U.S. theatrical debut in New York this month.