Overview
In this re-evaluation of Ruskin, 200 years after his birth, art historians, scientists, geographers, artists and curators explore the critic's lifelong commitment to the painted landscapes of JMW Turner and his own artistic ambitions, as well as his prophetic concerns about the world's darkening skies, pollution and psychological turbulence. Ruskin, Turner & the Storm Cloud presents new writing on John Ruskin's vision of art and its relationship with modern society and a changing environment. As part of the re-evaluation of Ruskin, 200 years after his birth in 1819, art historians, scientists, geographers, artists and curators explore the critic's lifelong commitment to the painted landscapes of JMW Turner and his own artistic ambitions, as well as his prophetic concerns about the world's darkening skies, pollution and psychological turbulence. In 1884 John Ruskin spoke out against an encroaching ""Storm Cloud"" - a darkening of the skies that he attributed to the belching chimneys of the modern world. The imagery of the pollution-stained sky also allowed Ruskin to articulate the internal distress that seemed to engulf him. His analysis of a ""blanched sun, blighted grass [and] blinded man"" overwhelmed by a modern ""plague-wind"" expresses both the visible climatic effects of industrialization and the effects of his own worsening mental health. Propelled by bereavement and anxieties over his religious faith, Ruskin became fixated on the skies, ""watching a cloud from four in the afternoon to four in the morning"". This collection of essays examining Ruskin's distinctive blend of meteorology, morality and social criticism brings new perspectives to one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the nineteenth century. Ruskin's deep and personal engagement with Turner's work over many decades emerges as a recurring theme. In Turner, Ruskin found the ideal ""Modern Painter"" - an artist whose powerful sunrises and sunsets, mountains and storms, inspired his own critical engagement with the natural world. 226 images
Full Product Details
Author: Suzanne Fagence Cooper ,
Richard Johns
Publisher: Paul Holberton Publishing Ltd
Imprint: Paul Holberton Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 9781911300601
ISBN 10: 1911300601
Pages: 120
Publication Date: 29 March 2019
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Explores the connection between Ruskin's admiration of Turner and his close visual attention to buildings, mountains, and the weather. --Apollo (02/01/2019)
Explores the connection between Ruskin's admiration of Turner and his close visual attention to buildings, mountains, and the weather. --Apollo (02/01/2019) Focusing on Ruskin's visionary environmentalism ... [Ruskin, Turner & the Storm Cloud] highlights the thinker's enduring relevance. -- (02/01/2019)
