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John Ruskin Quotes

Art critic

John Ruskin was an influential British art critic, writer, and social critic. Known for his profound insights into art, architecture, and social issues, he had a significant impact on the aesthetics and culture of the Victorian era.

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All Men Ifs Art Literature May Humans People Doe Firsts Thinking Architecture Heart World Giving Littles Children Knows Mean Political Done

Famous John Ruskin Quotes

“Nature is always mysterious and secret in her use of means; and art is always likest her when it is most inexplicable.”

Mean Art Use Nature Secret Art Is Mysterious Inexplicable

Book:Pt. 1-2. of general principles and of truth

Source: Pt. 1-2. of general principles and of truth

“A man is born an artist as a hippopotamus is born a hippopotamus; and you can no more make yourself one than you can make yourself a giraffe.”

Men Art Artist Born Giraffe Hippopotamus

Book:Letters on Art and Literature

Source: Letters on Art and Literature

“All that is good in art is the expression of one soul talking to another, and is precious according to the greatness of the soul that utters it.”

Art Soul Talking Greatness Expression Art Is

Book:The Stones of Venice: The fall

Source: The Stones of Venice: The fall

“It is a shallow criticism that would define poetry as confined to literary productions in rhyme and meter rhythm. The written poem is only poetry talking, and the statue, the picture, and the musical composition are poetry acting. Milton and Goethe, at their desks, were not more truly poets than Phidias with his chisel, Raphael at his easel, or deaf Beethoven bending over his piano, inventing and producing strains, which he himself could never hope to hear.”

“High art consists neither in altering, nor in improving nature; but in seeking throughout nature for 'whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are pure;' in loving these, in displaying to the utmost of the painter's power such loveliness as is in them, and directing the thoughts of others to them by winning art, or gentle emphasis.”

Art Winning Pure Seeking Lovely Painter Gentle Improving Emphasis Loveliness High Art

Book:Modern Painters: (pt.4) Modern painters of many things

Source: Modern Painters: (pt.4) Modern painters of many things

“Depend upon it, the first universal characteristic of all great art is Tenderness, as the second is Truth.”

Firsts Art Truth Depends Art Is Universal Characteristics Tenderness Great Art

Book:The Two Paths: Being Lectures on Art, and Its Application to Decoration and Manufacture, Delivered in 1858-9

Source: The Two Paths: Being Lectures on Art, and Its Application to Decoration and Manufacture, Delivered in 1858-9

“The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing...should be taught to every child just as writing is.”

Should Writing Humans Children Art Real Race Taught Importance Drawing Human Race

Author:John Ruskin

“Science deals exclusively with things as they are in themselves; and art exclusively with things as they affect the human sense and human soul.”

Humans Art Soul Science Deals Accounts Human Soul

Book:The Stones of Venice -: The Fall

Source: The Stones of Venice -: The Fall

“Science has to do with facts, art with phenomena. To science, phenomena are of use only as they lead to facts; and to art, facts are of use only as they lead to phenomena.”

Art Facts Use Science Accounts Phenomenon

Book:Stones of Venice

Source: Stones of Venice

“Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.”

Men Art Science Study Accounts Relation

Book:The Stones of Venice: The fall

Source: The Stones of Venice: The fall

“It is excellent discipline for an author to feel that he must say all that he has to say in the fewest possible words, or his readers is sure to skip them.”

Feels Writing Art Reader Discipline Excellent Skip Brevity

Author:John Ruskin

“Great art is precisely that which never was, nor will be taught, it is preeminently and finally the expression of the spirits of great men.”

Men Art Spirit Taught Expression Art Is Great Men Great Art

Book:The True and the Beautiful in Nature, Art, Morals and Religion: Selected from the Works of John Ruskin...

Source: The True and the Beautiful in Nature, Art, Morals and Religion: Selected from the Works of John Ruskin...

“To follow art for the sake of being a great man, and therefore to cast about continually for some means of achieving position or attracting admiration, is the surest way of ending in total extinction.”

Men Way Mean Art Achieve Position Sake Casts Great Men Admiration Extinction

Book:Modern Painters

Source: Modern Painters

“Depend upon it, the first universal characteristic of all great art is Tenderness, as the second is Truth. I find this more and more every day: an infinitude of tenderness is the chief gift and inheritance of all the truly great men. It is sure to involve a relative intensity of disdain towards base things, and an appearance of sternness and arrogance in the eyes of all hard, stupid, and vulgar people”

Source: The Two Paths: Being Lectures on Art, and Its Application to Decoration and Manufacture, Delivered in 1858-9

About the Author

Born: February 8, 1819
Died: January 20, 1900
Known for: Art critic
Quotes: 634

Books & Sources

The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections from His WritingsRelated source material

The seven lamps of architectureRelated source material

Modern PaintersRelated source material

Selections from the Writings of John RuskinRelated source material

The Stones of VeniceRelated source material

Selections and EssaysRelated source material

The works of John RuskinRelated source material

Unto this LastRelated source material

On Art and LifeRelated source material

The Crown of Wild OliveRelated source material

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