To See Clearly, Why Ruskin Matters, was a book I wanted to read the minute I saw it because I read On Art and Life by John Ruskin a long time ago, but I still remember how it made me feel. I was instantly attracted to this legendary man. He was like the guru I’d been waiting for, for so long. And I wanted to learn everything about him. And I must say, it is much better than I would have ever hoped for.
Suzanne Fagence Cooper is an excellent writer and an art historian. In this book, besides Ruskin’s
‘To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, religion, all in one.’
John Ruskin
John Ruskin, a great man
In To See Clearly, we read about Ruskin’s life, the women he loved and lost, the things he did to preserve the beautiful things. John Ruskin was a prominent British art critic of the Victorian era; he was also an art patron, painter, leading social thinker and philanthropist. He has written on a variety of topics including geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and political economy.
Ruskin managed to impress British society with his articles and pioneered many positive changes. Of course, most importantly, he shared information about how we should look at the world and all the things. From a tree to a cathedral, we have a lot to look at in the world. But we need to learn to look at them all correctly, to see clearly.
John Ruskin must be the first name on your to-read list. You’ll be amazed by him and want to read everything he wrote. Believe me, you won’t regret reading his work. Enjoy!
To See Clearly
To See Clearly: John Ruskin – born 200 years ago, in February 1819 – was the greatest critic of his age: a critic not only of art and architecture but of society and life. But his writings – on beauty and truth, on work and leisure, on commerce and capitalism, on life and how to live it – can teach us more than ever about how to see the world around us clearly and how to live it.
Dr Suzanne Fagence Cooper delves into Ruskin’s writings and uncovers the dizzying beauty and clarity of his vision. Whether he was examining the exquisite carvings of a medieval cathedral or the mass-produced wares of Victorian industry, chronicling the beauties of Venice and Florence or his own descent into old age and infirmity, Ruskin saw vividly the glories and the contradictions of life, and taught us how to see them as well.
Suzanne Fagence Cooper
Suzanne Fagence Cooper is a British non-fiction writer who has written extensively on the Pre-Raphaelites and Victorian women.
Fagence Cooper received a BA in history from Oxford University and spent 12 years as a curator of the Victorian collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum where she co-curated The Victorian Vision exhibition in 2001. She is an honorary visiting fellow of the University of York.
As well as writing, Fagence Cooper is a design consultant and has worked with the BBC and Channel 4 and was a historical consultant for the 2013 film The Invisible Woman. She was a contributor to Fred Dibnah’s World of Steam, Steel and Stone for BBC television, including providing a factual, historical perspective on the way Victorian lives can be presented in museums.
Fagence Cooper lives near York and is married to John Cooper. They have two daughters, Rosalind and Beatrice.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
