4 ms·

Prophet of the Human-Built World: An Introduction to John Ruskin

21 points by tintinnabula 8y ago

sn41 8y ago
John Ruskin's "Unto this Last" influenced Gandhi deeply.
pmoriarty 8y ago
Towards the end of Ruskin's life, the famous critic wrote a scathing review of a painting by James Whistler (of "Whistler's Mother"[1] fame): "For Mr. Whistler's own sake, no less than for the protection of the purchaser, Sir Coutts Lindsay ought not to have admitted works into the gallery in which the ill-educated conceit of the artist so nearly approached the aspect of wilful imposture. I have seen, and heard, much of Cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face." Whistler, who was in dire financial straits at the time, sued Ruskin for libel, saying that his reputation was seriously damaged and asked for 1000 pounds and court costs as compensation. During the lawsuit, artists, most prominent among them Edward Burne-Jones (one of the greatest artists of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and a pupil and benefactee of Ruskin's), were brought in to make pronouncements on the worthiness of Whistler's art. The lawsuit was a rare, perhaps unique, and certainly the most famous example of a trial which hinged on the definition of art. Ruskin stood for the more traditional view of art as representation of reality, and Whistler for a more modern "art for art's sake" where the artist's sensibilities were more important than how true a representation of reality the artwork was. Whistler, who had a wit to rival Oscar Wilde, defended his work with dignity, humor, and clever turns of phrase which often drew applause from the audience. In the end, Whistler won the case, but was awarded only one farthing (1/1000th of a pound) in damages. Whistler went bankrupt, and remained embittered against Ruskin, publishing acidic pamphlets against art critics and a book called The Gentle Art of Making Enemies[2] which contained a retelling of this case. Ruskin, whose mental health was already in decline (so much so that the trial had been delayed a year because of it, and who couldn't be present at the trial itself), suffered a nervous breakdown and resigned from his post at Oxford, saying "I cannot hold a Chair from which I have no power of expressing judgment without being taxed for it by British Law". More about the case can be read here: [3] [4] [5] [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%27s_Mother https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%27s_Mother [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gentle_Art_of_Making_Enemies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gentle_Art_of_Making_Enemi... [3] - http://people.loyno.edu/~history/journal/Landry.htm http://people.loyno.edu/~history/journal/Landry.htm [4] - http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/jamesh/ruskin.whistler.html http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/jamesh/ruskin.whistler.h... [5] - https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-james-abbott-mcneill-whistler-sued-harshest-critic-won https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-james-abbott-m...

21 points by tintinnabula 8y ago

sn41 8y ago

John Ruskin's "Unto this Last" influenced Gandhi deeply.

Towards the end of Ruskin's life, the famous critic wrote a scathing review of a painting by James Whistler (of "Whistler's Mother"[1] fame): "For Mr. Whistler's own sake, no less than for the protection of the purchaser, Sir Coutts Lindsay ought not to have admitted works into the gallery in which the ill-educated conceit of the artist so nearly approached the aspect of wilful imposture. I have seen, and heard, much of Cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face." Whistler, who was in dire financial straits at the time, sued Ruskin for libel, saying that his reputation was seriously damaged and asked for 1000 pounds and court costs as compensation. During the lawsuit, artists, most prominent among them Edward Burne-Jones (one of the greatest artists of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and a pupil and benefactee of Ruskin's), were brought in to make pronouncements on the worthiness of Whistler's art. The lawsuit was a rare, perhaps unique, and certainly the most famous example of a trial which hinged on the definition of art. Ruskin stood for the more traditional view of art as representation of reality, and Whistler for a more modern "art for art's sake" where the artist's sensibilities were more important than how true a representation of reality the artwork was. Whistler, who had a wit to rival Oscar Wilde, defended his work with dignity, humor, and clever turns of phrase which often drew applause from the audience. In the end, Whistler won the case, but was awarded only one farthing (1/1000th of a pound) in damages. Whistler went bankrupt, and remained embittered against Ruskin, publishing acidic pamphlets against art critics and a book called The Gentle Art of Making Enemies[2] which contained a retelling of this case. Ruskin, whose mental health was already in decline (so much so that the trial had been delayed a year because of it, and who couldn't be present at the trial itself), suffered a nervous breakdown and resigned from his post at Oxford, saying "I cannot hold a Chair from which I have no power of expressing judgment without being taxed for it by British Law". More about the case can be read here: [3] [4] [5] [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%27s_Mother https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%27s_Mother [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gentle_Art_of_Making_Enemies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gentle_Art_of_Making_Enemi... [3] - http://people.loyno.edu/~history/journal/Landry.htm http://people.loyno.edu/~history/journal/Landry.htm [4] - http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/jamesh/ruskin.whistler.html http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/jamesh/ruskin.whistler.h... [5] - https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-james-abbott-mcneill-whistler-sued-harshest-critic-won https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-james-abbott-m...