John Ruskin was according to Lionel Trilling "the pre-eminent intellectual genius of Victorian England," an influential social philosopher and art critic and a highly talented watercolor painter. Born in London to a wealthy and fiercely religious Scottish sherry merchant, Ruskin learned at an early age to read several languages, write extensively, and appreciate fine art. He began drawing lessons at age 11; for his 12th birthday he received Samuel Roger's poem Italy in an edition illustrated with etchings after J.M.W. Turner; in his autobiography he attributed to that gift "the entire direction of my life's work." Ruskin's family toured Belgium, the Rhine Valley and Switzerland in 1833 to see the many places illustrated by Samuel Prout; two years later he traveled via France to Italy, creating his lifelong passion for the Alps and Venice which he revisited many times in his life. He finally met his painting idol, Turner, in 1840, the same year he became a fellow of the Geological Society. Initially determined to become a Protestant bishop, he turned instead toward art criticism when, at age 24 and while still an undergraduate at Cambridge University, he wrote the first volume of his Modern Painters (1843) expressly as a defense of Turner's art, and in so doing became the first critic to develop a modern esthetic theory for modern painting. Other art critical works followed: four more volumes of Modern Painters (in 1846, two in 1856, and 1860), The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849) and The Stones of Venice (1851, 1853), as well as many articles on art and architectural preservation. From 1851 he was an early defender and sometimes domineering patron of the Pre-Raphaelite painters.
This kindle edition is special to include the 15 original plates from the author and more 10 new painting from his famous work, for example:
Roslin Chapel
Churches in Venice
Edinburgh Lecture diagram: Decorated cusped gothic window
The Stones of Venice
This kindle edition is special to include the 15 original plates from the author and more 10 new painting from his famous work, for example:
Roslin Chapel
Churches in Venice
Edinburgh Lecture diagram: Decorated cusped gothic window
The Stones of Venice
