John Ruskin and the Victorian Eye - Hardcover

Casteras, Susan P.; Gordon, Susan Phelps

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810937662 ISBN 13: 9780810937666

Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc, 1993

Synopsis

The six essays gathered in this book present an engaging look at the art and ideas of Victorian art critic John Ruskin, considered by many to be the greatest tastemaker of his time. Ruskin first came to fame in the 1840s for his articulate, impassioned defense of the paintings of J. M. W. Turner; later he championed the efforts of Pre-Raphaelite artists such as Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Elizabeth Siddal. As a lecturer at the University of Oxford and founder of the Saint George's Museum in Sheffield, England, Ruskin strove to instill in his followers a respect for craftsmanship and reverence for historic monuments. He actively promoted art education for all classes of people and spoke out continually against the social ills of his day.
Ruskin believed that an artist's true gift was the power to see and to communicate moral as well as physical realities, and that insistence on the "art of seeing" serves as a unifying thread throughout the essays in this book, each of which addresses a different aspect of the critic's art and thought. Robert Hewison, a Ruskin scholar and theater critic for the London Sunday Times, recounts pivotal moments in Ruskin's life that were motivated by his encounters with Renaissance artworks. George P. Landow, Professor of English and Art at Brown University, discusses Ruskin's writing style, describing his "word paintings" and the evangelical prose with which he urged his readers to develop their own perceptive abilities. As a former art dealer and expert in British Victorian art, Christopher Newall brings special insight into Ruskin's own distinctive drawings. Susan Phelps Gordon, Curator of European Art at the Phoenix Art Museum, relates Ruskin's critical reaction to the art of his time, including the infamous Whistler vs. Ruskin libel trial of 1878 as well as Ruskin's relationships with and aspirations for the artists he supported. Anthony Lacy Gully, Associate Professor of Art History at Arizona State University, explores Ruskin's fascination with the natural world and his clashes with the scientific community. Susan P. Casteras, Curator of Paintings at the Yale Center for British Art and a lecturer in art history at Yale College, looks at Ruskin's theories on museums and their installations as he applied them in his Saint George's Museum, which he founded for the education of the miners of Sheffield.
Complementing the essays are 179 beautiful illustrations - 40 in color - of works by Turner, Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Siddal, John Everett Millais, James Tissot, and many other artists; also included are a number of watercolors and drawings by Ruskin himself. A chronology of Ruskin's life, a bibliography, and an index round out this fascinating and very readable volume, which should remain a valuable resource for art lovers, Ruskin scholars, and Victoriana enthusiasts for many years to come.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

The six accessible essays in this richly illustrated volume--companion to an exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum and the Indianapolis Museum of Art--examine John Ruskin's activities as Victorian art critic and moral sage. Ruskin scholar Robert Hewison explores how the critic's encounter with paintings by Renaissance masters led to his loss of religous faith. Brown University professor George Dandow scrutinizes the sermonizing language with which Ruskin urged readers to sharpen their own perceptive powers. Yale art historian Casteras discusses Ruskin's creation in 1871 of a utopian guild to govern Saint George's Museum in Sheffield, England. Other essays deal with Ruskin's high aspirations for modern art, his passion for geology and his drawings, which were a stimulus to his thought. Nearly 180 plates (40 in color) show paintings by Ruskin himself as well as by Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, J.M.W. Turner and others.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion--all in one." Ruskin's guiding belief is well served in this catalog for the exhibition entitled "The Art of Seeing: John Ruskin and the Victorian Eye," organized by the Phoenix Art Museum. Considered by many to be the greatest tastemaker of his age, Ruskin strove in his writings to instill a respect for craftsmanship and reverence for historical moments. The six essays offered here explore Ruskin's "evangelical prose," drawings, fascination with the natural world, clashes with the scientific community, and critical response to the art of his time. Selected to complement the essays, 179 illustrations--40 in color--of works by Turner, Burne-Jones, Rossetti, John Millais, and Ruskin himself are well reproduced. Highly recommended for fine art collections.
- Joseph Hewgley, Nashville P.L.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0810937662
• ISBN 13: 9780810937666
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 223