Lemuria

John Ihle

Lemuria is a now-debunked theoretical sunken landmass in the Indian Ocean, posited by 19th century zoologist Philip Sclater to explain the discovery of lemur fossils in Madagascar and India that were not found in Africa or the Middle East. A popular theory, it opened up the conversation of human evolution to scientists in many studies; it was also appropriated by occultists and others hoping to use Sclater's science to explan mystical and mythical origin stories. Deemed unlikely after Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift was accepted in the 1950s, Lemuria remains a marker of zoology's important role in the conversation regarding the human timline.

John Ihle presents an orb-like composition rendered in layered textures to represent the Lemurian theory. Blossom-like shapes and warm, earthen colors harken to his days as a botanical illustrator for the Chicago Museum of Natural History. Themes of land, flora, and connection between geographic regions would reoccur throughout Ihle's career.