The lamp of beauty: Writings on art (Landmarks in art history)

« John Ruskin (1819-1900) was the most important English art critic of the last century. He exercised an enormous influence on the theory as well as the practice of the arts, and he affected the course of British art and architecture decisively by his powerful advocacy of Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, and the Gothic style. He was an exceedingly prolific writer, and the standard edition of his works runs to 38 massive volumes, a daunting prospect for the scholar and the reader alike. This book is designed to make available, in an easy accessible form, a generous sampling of Ruskin's finest writings on painting, sculpture, and architecture. It is arranged chronologically to show the development of his critical method, which in his time constituted a new and almost revolutionary approach to art. First published in 1959, The Lamp of Beauty offers the essence of Ruskin's teaching and his best appreciations of work of art. Joan Evans, an authority on Ruskin, made the selections and also contributed an introduction on his life and work. The 78 illustrations are of works discussed by Ruskin in the text, and include some of his own drawings. »-- Quatrième de couverture