Who was John Ruskin...............

John Ruskin, English author and art critic, was  born in London in 1819, son of a wealthy wine merchant. He was brought up in a cultured and religious family, home schooled until age twelve. His mother's over protectiveness undoubtedly contributed to his later psychological troubles.

On his frequent trips in Europe, he took an artist's and poet's delight both in landscape and works of art, especially medieval and Renaissance. His first great work, Modern Painters (5 volumes, 1843-60), began as a passionate defense of Turner's pictures, but became a study of the principles of Art. To Ruskin the relationship between art, morality and social justice was of paramount importance and he increasingly became preoccupied with social reform.  He founded the Working Men's college (1854) and backed with money the experiments of Octavia Hill in the management of house property. He advocated social reforms which later were adopted by all political parties old age pensions, universal free education, better housing.

He was Slade Professor of art at Oxford 1870-79 and 1883-84 where there is an art college named after him.

In 1848 Ruskin married Euphemia (Effie) Gray (the child of whom he had written The King Of the Golden River) but in 1854 the marriage was annulled. Ruskin did not marry again, although on occasions he fell in love with girls much younger than himself and his last disappointment over Rose la Touche contributed to his mental breakdown which caused him to spend his last years in seclusion. After 1889 he stopped writing and rarely spoke.

John Ruskin died of influenza January 20, 1900.