NOTES ON AN ICON
The Victorian polymath influenced many areas of life, from art to conservation and even politics
Discover how Victorian social reformer John Ruskin’s passion for conservation still resonates today, over 100 years since his death
Awriter, artist, social reformer, thinker and conservationist, John Ruskin was born in London in 1819 to a wealthy Scottish sherry merchant. Travelling widely in his youth, both around Great Britain and abroad, he recorded his impressions in sketches and notebooks. After studying at Christ Church, Oxford, he continued to write and paint. His three-volume work on Venetian art and architecture, The Stones of Venice was sharply critical of industrialism and had a deep e ect on William Morris. Ruskin also championed the artist JMW Turner as well as the Pre-Raphaelites, who were influenced by his work.
He was a proponent of the conservation of ancient buildings, a passion he shared with many of his friends. Two of them, Octavia Hill
and Hardwicke Rawnsley, went on to establish the National Trust, having been introduced by Ruskin.
After visiting the Lake District when he was five, Ruskin was drawn back for the last chapter of his life. From 1872 until his death in 1900, he lived at Brantwood in Coniston. In the house, filled with his paintings, furniture and personal items, visitors can learn more about his lasting influence. Around the world his ideas have endured, inspiring politicians such as Gandhi, architect Le Corbusier, writer Oscar Wilde and even Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games.