John Ruskin (Datur Hora Quieti)

John Ruskin’s fervent belief that art and architecture should morally instruct through their design and mode of production inspired Arts and Crafts movements around the world, from Britain and the United States to Japan. His social and political theories, furthermore, have been mobilized globally in ways he...

Utterly alone against a shadowy background, the John Ruskin depicted in Frederick Hollyer’s portrait of 1894 gazes fixedly through an unseen window (cat. 69; fig. 10). The image suggests little of the frailty, madness, and despair that plagued Ruskin in his final years, presenting a resolute figure seated in the study of his...