[ebooks] Landscape with Figures: A History of Art Dealing in the United States by Malcolm Goldstein in Arts-Photography

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting ThoughtsBy Meks LibrarianThis collection of papers by John Ruskin was first published in 1838.Although the free copy I downloaded from rsquo;s kindle shop came without illustrations; I was able to picture quite well most of what the author so vividly describes. Apart from being vivid; at times his descriptions are also amusing; for instance when he says that ldquo;hellip;nothing can be more absurd than the humor prevailing at the present day among many of our peaceable old gentlemen; who never smelt powder in their lives; to eat their morning muffin in a savage-looking round tower; and admit quiet old ladies to a tea-party under the range of twenty-six cannon; whichmdash;it is lucky for the chinamdash;are all wooden ones;mdash;as they are; in all probability; accurately and awfully pointed into the drawing-room windows.rdquo;The book is split in two major parts; one about The Cottage and the other about The Villa. Cottages and villas in different countries are examined; and Ruskin explains in detail why certain ways of composing a building will look perfectly harmonious in one country or one situation; but wonrsquo;t work at all anywhere else. He tells the reader at length about what blue; green and brown country means; and what sort of building will look and feel right in each. He severely warns against trying to imitate a different countryrsquo;s style as well as against using too much or badly executed decorative elements. Some of his reasoning may appear curious to a 21st century reader; but keeping in mind the times when these papers were compiled makes for an interesting glimpse into the way people of intellectual rank (and with a certain standing in society) were thinking.According to wikipedia; Ruskin (1819 ndash; 1900) was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era. He is called ldquo;hugely influential in the latter half of the 19th centuryrdquo;. Admittedly; Irsquo;d not heard of him until reading this book; but he appears to have been a multi-faceted and ndash;talented person whose many other works may well be worth reading. His personal life; as described there; sounds rather sad and strange. I do not want to go into any detail here; but if you want to know more; you will easily find out for yourselves.I donrsquo;t say this book would work as an architectrsquo;s handbook of today. But it certainly was worth reading; even though some sentences were so long that they nearly covered an entire ldquo;pagerdquo; on my kindle; and it satisfied my recurring want for non-fiction reads.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Character Versus NationBy yonder"The Poetry Of Architecture"; written by John Ruskin; a book written first for the common people; the farmer; fisherman; hunter; and shepherd; later for the middle class; rich; and nobility. When he decribes the cottages of working people he refers to utilitarian structures that relate significantly to the landscape; climate; and occupation of the inhabitants. National characteristics are taken into considerations as to the function of the structures.His discussion of the landscape and how it contributes to the cottages is very relevant to Site Specific Sculpture and Architecture today.The cottages in England are quite different from the ones in the other European countries. With the English cottages upkeep being very neat with perfect flowers; and the French people added more elaboration to their cottages. The Italian cottages being more sad in construction.He describes the construction materials used in the cottages as being dependent on the natural resouces.The is a very helpful book and lend itself to Site Specific Sculpture and Public Art.John Ruskin also gives some of the qualities inherent in artists and their need to avoid ornamentation and work not at a national level; but answer to a higher calling.SPRBeautiful Cottages and Villas: Introducing 80 Sater Coastal-Style Home PlansThe Architecture of Country Houses (Dover Architecture)Country Houses and Seaside Cottages of the Victorian Era (Dover Architecture)Waterside Cottages0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. not many new insightsBy sscarlettWhile I absolutely love most of Ruskins writings; I found this book to ramble; and not have many new insights. The subject matter was also of less interest to me than that of his other books.