« Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern Painters

The works of John Ruskin attempt to define the beauty of nature, so that man may be able to recreate it, to reprocess it through art and then access truth. Whether in the spheres of painting, architecture, or geology, Ruskin strives to guide the reader’s perception, and the four elements remain at t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lawrence Gasquet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée 2010-06-01
Series:Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2853
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832581214771347456
author Lawrence Gasquet
author_facet Lawrence Gasquet
author_sort Lawrence Gasquet
collection DOAJ
description The works of John Ruskin attempt to define the beauty of nature, so that man may be able to recreate it, to reprocess it through art and then access truth. Whether in the spheres of painting, architecture, or geology, Ruskin strives to guide the reader’s perception, and the four elements remain at the core of his thinking. What could be acknowledged as the representation of the various possible « states of matter », to use Ruskin’s expression in The Seven Lamps of Architecture, raises various questions : « Among the countless analogies by which the nature and relations of the human soul are illustrated in the material creation, none are more striking than the impressions inseparably connected with the active and dormant states of matter. I have elsewhere endeavoured to show, that no inconsiderable part of the essential characters of beauty depended on the expression of vital energy in organic things, or on the subjection to such energy, of things naturally passive and powerless » (The Seven Lamps of Architecture, London, George Allen, 1880, 1906, p. 271). In this article, I shall try to establish a synthesis of the representations of the four elements so as to determine the role they play in Ruskin’s aesthetics.
format Article
id doaj-art-136c72615129435ab554719d3e79586f
institution Kabale University
issn 0220-5610
2271-6149
language English
publishDate 2010-06-01
publisher Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée
record_format Article
series Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens
spelling doaj-art-136c72615129435ab554719d3e79586f2025-01-30T10:21:44ZengPresses Universitaires de la MéditerranéeCahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens0220-56102271-61492010-06-017118520010.4000/cve.2853« Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern PaintersLawrence GasquetThe works of John Ruskin attempt to define the beauty of nature, so that man may be able to recreate it, to reprocess it through art and then access truth. Whether in the spheres of painting, architecture, or geology, Ruskin strives to guide the reader’s perception, and the four elements remain at the core of his thinking. What could be acknowledged as the representation of the various possible « states of matter », to use Ruskin’s expression in The Seven Lamps of Architecture, raises various questions : « Among the countless analogies by which the nature and relations of the human soul are illustrated in the material creation, none are more striking than the impressions inseparably connected with the active and dormant states of matter. I have elsewhere endeavoured to show, that no inconsiderable part of the essential characters of beauty depended on the expression of vital energy in organic things, or on the subjection to such energy, of things naturally passive and powerless » (The Seven Lamps of Architecture, London, George Allen, 1880, 1906, p. 271). In this article, I shall try to establish a synthesis of the representations of the four elements so as to determine the role they play in Ruskin’s aesthetics.https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2853
spellingShingle Lawrence Gasquet
« Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern Painters
Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens
title « Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern Painters
title_full « Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern Painters
title_fullStr « Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern Painters
title_full_unstemmed « Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern Painters
title_short « Between the heaven and man came the cloud » : John Ruskin et la représentation des états de la matière dans Modern Painters
title_sort between the heaven and man came the cloud john ruskin et la representation des etats de la matiere dans modern painters
url https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2853
work_keys_str_mv AT lawrencegasquet betweentheheavenandmancamethecloudjohnruskinetlarepresentationdesetatsdelamatieredansmodernpainters