The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections From His Writings (Classic Reprint) Paperback – April 19, 2018

A great selection with interesting biographical notes by the editor. If you are disappointed by the scarcity of decent publications of Ruskin’s work this book will be a welcome discovery. It is the greatest scandal and shame of England that this her greatest writer and thinker hands down is virtually unavailable except in over priced cheap reproduction of unreadable facsimiles. The shallowness of spirit which Ruskin decried as an unfortunate element of modernism and the obscene prevalence of utilitarian value in place of beauty has obviously reached a high point in England. I wonder if they even know who he is at this point.

I don't believe that there is a page in the five hundred and fifty that his literary skills are not revealed.He paints a picture that you can see,feel and understand wether he is pointing out great art, architecture or a landscape. A page turner from beginning to end.

One can hardly read any thoughtful analysis orevaluation of art, artists, even poets, withoutcoming upon a quote from John Ruskin. Yet onemay read the quote, realize its acuteness, butthen proceed on -- without really knowing anythingabout John Ruskin himself, or about his ideasand works. That is a tragic loss. Ruskin was anEnglish art critic and scholar, as well as acultural and philosphical historian wholived from 1819 to 1900.He attended and graduated from Oxford University,and in 1869 was appointed first Slade Professorof Fine Art at Oxford. John Ruskin seems to me to be a combination ofPlato, godly Greek sculptors, and Thoreau. Hisown senses, apparently (just like Thoreau's) wereextremely acute...he has incredible sharpness ofvision. But even more telling, he has incrediblecommand of vision and the language to express itwith. He seems, at times, like a Homer of artisticcultural and philosophical expression. This volume is a compilation of excerpts fromRuskin's major writings: MODERN PAINTERS I, II,III, IV, and V/ THE SEVEN LAMPS OF ARCHITECTURE/THE STONES OF VENICE/ THE TWO PATHS/ UNTO THISLAST/ THE CROWN OF WILD OLIVE/ SESAME AND LILIES/THE QUEEN OF THE AIR/ FORS CLAVIGERA/ FICTION, FAIRAND FOUL/ THE STORM-CLOUD OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY/and PRAETERITA. There are multiple excerpts fromeach of these works, and each excerpt is followedby a very helpful citation of the volume, part,section, and chapter of the work where the excerptis found. Ruskin is not "merely" an acute analyzer andevaluator of art and architecture, but he also isan artistic and ethical philosopher. His philosophyseems to have a strong dose of PAGAN GREEK (Plato)underpinning, which interacts interestingly withthe Evangelical Protestantism overlaid when hewas young by his mother's strict Bible lessons.His whole life seems to have been a strugglebetween these two grappling forces, like thestatue of "The Wrestlers" from Hellenistic times. Ruskin idolized and glorified the painterJoseph Mallord William Turner [J.M.W. Turner].He seems to have set out on a crusade while stilla teen-ager (17) by writing an essay defendingTurner and his art -- his admiration, esteem,and idolatry continued even after he had goneto Oxford University and began writing his artcriticism works. Ruskin's topics sound like a role-call ofclassical virtues and perfection seeking -- andlike Thoreau, he bemoans the fact that morepeople do not wake up, see intently, and livebetter lives. I personally find Ruskin's admonitionsto be inspiring, rather than merely preachy. Heobviously has a vision (like a prophet), a wondroussense of beauty and appreciation, and a fine mindand expressive ability which create words of goldenglow. Yet he also has a heart of reproof towardsthe mercantilism of his times (in one speech hetells his audience that they have two religions,one which they pay lip-service and tithes to,and the other religion of their practicality,the one they actually live by -- and he says:"...but we are all unanimous about this practicalone; of which I think you will admit that the rulinggoddess may be best generally described as the'Goddess of Getting-on,' or 'Britannia of theMarket.'") Some of the topic titles in the various sectionsgive one the flavor of his insights and vision:"Definition of Greatness in Art"; "That the Truthof Nature in Not to Be Discerned by the UneducatedSenses"; "Of Truth of Space"; and "Of the NaturalistIdeal." In his works on architecture, there aresuch topic titles as "The Lamp of Truth" and "TheLamp of Memory." The editor of this volume, John D. Rosenberg, hasdone a masterful, insightful job of presentingRuskin and his views -- and the Univ. Press ofVirginia have done a masterful job of printingand binding those valuable views in an attractiveand valuable volume.

Highly acclaimed anthology of John Ruskin, this book is made out of 39 vols Library Edition of John Ruskin's works, supported by 5 pillars--art, architecture, society, solitude and self and compiled chronologically.In the introduction, Herbert Tucker estimates this book as a classic anthology. It is followed by Rosenberg's preface, and before each section mentioned above is his own explanatory comment. This is extremely superb in style as well as contents. At the end of the book is a new bibliography, to some of which entries brief comments are added. As Ruskin's writings, especially those in early years, are not easy to read, this book is priceless. Among relatively rare entries are "Traffic" in The Clown of Wild Olive, "Athena Keramitis" in Queen of the Air, and "Essay I" in Fiction Fair and Foul. Compared with the previous anthology by Kenneth Clark, "Ruskin Today", this one is inferior in variety but far superior in amount. Now we have the Ruskin's Complete Works in one CD-ROM, but it cannot be read, say, in a train or bed unless printed out. Concisely selected, this book is, I think, quite valuable when kept by your side.