Customer Reviews

Modern Painters: Volume 1. Of General Principles, and of Truth

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This book is the first in a series on painters by Ruskin, modern at the time of writing, focusing chiefly on J.M.W.Turner, whom Ruskin, well, adores. Ruskin has many keen insights into art, painting, and what is and isn't art. He tells it like it is, and makes some important points. The book, or series of books, was apparently well read in previous times, and apparently not read at all in our epoch of Modern Art. What irony. Anyway, the book is a little difficult to read, and references painters who may have been well known to his readers in 19th century London, but are today not well known, except of course for Turner. Ruskin admits that Turners works lose a lot of their sparkle quickly, due to the intransigent nature of his materials, and suggests that Turner would have been better off doing a few oils a year, instead of dozens or hundreds or watercolors. May I also suggest Ruskin's excellent book called the Elements of Drawing? Worth a read, and easier to digest. Four stars because it is Ruskin, and has many elements of truth, not 5 because its a tough read, and maybe not too easy to assimilate.