This lectureÌýexploresÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌýaesthetic and ethical parametersÌýof John Ruskin’s watercolour practice.ÌýAs in hisÌýacts of verbal description, the Victorian critic’sÌýpicturesÌýstagedÌýdistinctive modes of attention for his audiences,ÌýmodellingÌýwaysÌýof closely observing visualÌýphenomenaÌýand taking their significance in.ÌýInÌýthe process, however, as they broughtÌýtheÌýobserved world onto the two-dimensional sheet,Ìýrevelling in theirÌýgrasp of detail, theÌýdrawingsÌýalso refused to pin that world down,ÌýproposingÌýthat the act of depictionÌýinsteadÌýremainÌýopen,Ìýmobile, never fullyÌýcomplete.ÌýLikeÌýthe best ofÌýhisÌýwritings,Ìýthen,ÌýRuskin’s drawingsÌýconstitutedÌýan art ofÌýunpossession, withÌýrealÌýconsequencesÌýfor the understanding of his thought. But as it ranges over the sheer variety of his visual work—from nature studies to architectural fancies to copies after pictures from the past—³Ù³ó±ðÌýlectureÌýalso suggests some of the ways the visual mightÌýbeÌýdistinguished from the verbal in Ruskin’sÌýcase.ÌýDrawing outÌýthe difference picturingÌýmakesÌýinÌýhisÌýrelationÌýto ³Ù³ó±ðÌýworld,ÌýitÌýexaminesÌýhow Ruskin’s engagement with the medium of watercolour ledÌýhisÌýpicturesÌýto suggest thingsÌýhis words could never say.ÌýÌýÌý
Jeremy Melius is a historian of modern art, focussed on the trajectories of art making and art writing inÌýBritain and EuropeÌýsince 1800. CurrentlyÌýaÌýVisiting Scholar at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, he has published widely on figures such asÌýJohn Ruskin,ÌýWalter Pater,ÌýAdolf Hildebrand, Pablo Picasso,ÌýandÌýLeeÌýBontecou. He has recently completed aÌýbook on the invention of BotticelliÌýand isÌýat work on anotherÌýconcerningÌýthe fraught relationÌýbetween Ruskin and art history.ÌýÌýÌý
Organised by Professor Caroline Arscott (The Courtauld).Ìý