John Ruskin

author

John Ruskin

1819–1900

A brilliant Victorian critic who wrote about art, architecture, nature, and society with unusual energy and clarity. His books helped shape how generations of readers looked at beauty, work, and the moral purpose of art.

63 Audiobooks

The Ethics of the Dust

The Ethics of the Dust

by John Ruskin

Sesame and Lilies

Sesame and Lilies

by John Ruskin

Mornings in Florence

Mornings in Florence

by John Ruskin

The Two Paths

The Two Paths

by John Ruskin

Mons Spes, et novellæ aliæ

Mons Spes, et novellæ aliæ

by E. Parmalee (Ezra Parmalee) Prentice, Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton, Guy de Maupassant, John Ruskin, Robert Louis Stevenson

Of Vulgarity

Of Vulgarity

by John Ruskin

Kuninkaitten aarteet

Kuninkaitten aarteet

by John Ruskin

Keskinäinen ihmisyys

Keskinäinen ihmisyys

by John Ruskin

La Bible d'Amiens

La Bible d'Amiens

by John Ruskin

About the author

Born in London on February 8, 1819, John Ruskin became one of the best-known cultural voices of the Victorian age. He wrote as an art critic, social thinker, lecturer, and artist, and his interests ranged widely across architecture, painting, education, political economy, and the natural world.

Ruskin is especially remembered for major works such as Modern Painters, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, and The Stones of Venice. He championed J. M. W. Turner, argued that art should be rooted in truth and close observation, and helped inspire later movements concerned with craftsmanship, social reform, and the dignity of labor.

In later life he lived at Brantwood in the Lake District, where he continued writing and drawing. He died on January 20, 1900, but his work remains influential for readers interested in art, beauty, society, and the responsibilities that come with making and judging creative work.