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| Pictures from the Collection John Ruskin was passionate about drawing from an early age. Drawing for him was important because it made him really study the world around him. He drew mountains, clouds, shells, buildings, and plants. He felt careful observation of the world around us would help us understand many things. By looking at a leaf we might be able to understand how a forest grew. By studying a rock we could figure out how a mountain formed. He therefore felt we all should draw. Below are 10 pictures all made by Ruskin. Click on the picture's title to view it. Have a look at the pictures, and then why not have a go at doing some drawing yourself? For help on getting started you might want to visit the Drawing Power website. www.drawingpower.org.uk “My first tree, from Nature” 1831 Ruskin was drawing by the age of nine. H made this drawing of a tree when he was twelve, whilst visiting Kent. Here is a drawing that Ruskin made of himself in 1874. Why not have a go at drawing your own self-portrait? Shell – a spiral” c. 1870 -80 “ Ruskin loved to collect shells and minerals. He loved to draw objects from nature, and was interested in the shapes he discovered. He has drawn this shell from above to capture its spiral shape. “Peacock and Falcon Feathers” 1873. This painted picture of feathers is very large. Ruskin would give talks about birds, and he probably used this drawing to illustrate one of his lectures. This is a painting Ruskin made of a glacier in Chamonix. The glacier is called “Mer de Glace”, which means sea of ice. Ruskin loved mountains and was very interested in geology. “Cloud study: Ice Clouds over Coniston Old Man” 1880 Ruskin was a keen observer of cloud formations, and made many drawings of them throughout his life. “Northwest Porch of St Marks, Venice” 1877 Of all the European cities that Ruskin visited Venice in Italy was perhaps his favourite. He visited it several times. He particularly admired the amazing buildings there. In this picture Ruskin has painted part of a doorway. Some of the buildings he drew and painted he helped save, as many old buildings were being torn down at that time. “The Stones of Venice; Gothic Book” 1850 Ruskin made hundreds of drawings of buildings. He would carry his sketchbook with him wherever he went. In Venice he filled many sketchbooks recording details of the architecture. In his sketchbooks he would not only draw. He would make notes, record measurements, and make observations. This sketchbook was used to record information about doors, and doorways. He also had a “Bit book” where he would sketch bits of buildings. “Studies of a Thistle” 1870’s (?) As well as being interested in architecture and geology Ruskin also studied plants. He made hundreds of drawings of plants. He has used ink and paint in this drawing to help emphasise the shape of the thistle.
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