John Ruskin - Creativity and Art
John Ruskin (1819-1900)
English artist, philosopher, writer and environmentalist (pictured right).
Believed that the needs of nature and people must be respected.
Lived from 1872 in Brantwood, beside Lake Coniston in the English Lake District.
Who did he influence?
1. Mahatma Gandhi
(Indian leader and philosopher, pictured right above)
2. Marcel Proust
(French writer, pictured right).
3. LeoTolstoy
(Russian author, pictured right, of War and
Peace)
4. Frank Lloyd
Wright
(American architect, pictured right below)
Why was he so creative?
1. Awareness and communication of beauty
He opened his mind and imagination to:
a) the beauty of nature
b) new ideas
“The greatest thing a human soul does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain
way”, he said.
He had great powers of observation and concentration, allowing him to
paint things in the greatest possible detail.
“Beauty is in the minutest detail of nature, and the simple things like a stream or wood”, he said.
2. Practicality
Theories must have a practical purpose
But he also said that the most beautiful things are the most useless like peacocks and
lilies.
3. Lifelong learning
His father, John James Ruskin (pictured right), was a wealthy wine importer and art lover,
who
- encouraged him to become an artist.
- employed the best painters to teach him.
He was inspired by other great painters, particularly J.M.W. Turner (pictured right
below).
4. Commitment to work
Ruskin:
- was totally absorbed in his work (because he enjoyed it so much).
- strongly believed in co-operation with others to achieve your work objectives.
His “Law of Help” states that:
- co-operation is mutually beneficial.
- competition leads to gains at other people's expense.
5. Philosophy
Ruskin (pictured right in 1863) believed from his study of art and architecture that everyone can:
He hated the Industrial Revolution for exploiting people in factories.
He said, “There is no wealth but life”.
In other words, people should be:
- do something to become a better person (not just for money).
6. Purpose
He wanted to do things like art and writing that would last forever.
“When we build, let us think that we build forever”, he said.
Key quotes on
quality
When love and skill work together expect a masterpiece.
Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.
Key quote on money and
happiness
There is no wealth but life.
Key quote on business
success
When we build, let us think that we build forever.
Key quote on corporate
culture
Obedience to a code of conduct based upon the teaching of the wise mind is the only foundation of success.
Key quote on design
Life without industry is guilt, and industry without art is brutality.
Key quotes on
motivation
In order that people may be happy in their work, three things are needed: They
must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in
it.
The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.
Key quote on politics and
government
The first duty of government is to see that people have food, fuel and clothes. The second, that they have means
of moral and intellectual education.
Key quote on
society
The strength and power of a country depends
absolutely on the quantity of good men and women in it.
Key quote on education and
training
The first condition of education is being able to put someone to wholesome and meaningful work.
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