Quote

Painting with all its technicalities, difficulties, and peculiar ends, is nothing but a noble and expressive language, invaluable as the vehicle of thought, but by itself nothing.

John Ruskin

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

John Ruskin
Age: 80 †
Born: 1819
Born: February 8
Died: 1900
Died: January 20
Aesthetician
Architect
Art Critic
Art Historian
Journalist
Literary Critic
Painter
Philosopher
Poet
Sociologist
University Teacher
Writer
London
England
Kata Phusin
Rŏsŭkʻin
J. Ruskin
John Rosukin
Jon Rasukin
Dzhon Rëskin
Ruskin
Noble
Difficulty
Painting
Technicalities
Language
Invaluable
Ends
Expressive
Thought
Difficulties
Nothing
Vehicle
Peculiar

More quotes by John Ruskin

Image
High art consists neither in altering, nor in improving nature but in seeking throughout nature for 'whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are pure' in loving these, in displaying to the utmost of the painter's power such loveliness as is in them, and directing the thoughts of others to them by winning art, or gentle emphasis.
John Ruskin
Image
Cursing is invoking the assistance of a spirit to help you inflict suffering. Swearing on the other hand, is invoking, only the witness of a spirit to an statement you wish to make.
John Ruskin
Image
Wherever men are noble, they love bright colour and wherever they can live healthily, bright colour is given them—in sky, sea, flowers, and living creatures.
John Ruskin
Image
You cannot have good architecture merely by asking people's advice on occasion. All good architecture is the expression of national life and character and it is produced by a prevalent and eager national taste, or desire for beauty.
John Ruskin
Image
A forest of all manner of trees is poor, if not disagreeable, in effect a mass of one species of tree is sublime.
John Ruskin
Image
The path of a good woman is indeed strewn with flowers but they rise behind her steps, not before them.
John Ruskin
Image
Depend upon it, the first universal characteristic of all great art is Tenderness, as the second is Truth.
John Ruskin
Image
When God shuts a door, He opens a window.
John Ruskin
Image
It seems a fantastic paradox, but it is nevertheless a most important truth, that no architecture can be truly noble which is not imperfect.
John Ruskin
Image
Genius is only a superior power of seeing.
John Ruskin
Image
When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.
John Ruskin
Image
No girl who is well bred, 'kind, and modest, is ever offensively plain all real deformity means want of manners, or of heart.
John Ruskin
Image
If the thing is impossible, you need not trouble yourselves about it if possible, try for it.
John Ruskin
Image
There is material enough in a single flower for the ornament of a score of cathedrals.
John Ruskin
Image
It is in this power of saying everything, and yet saying nothing too plainly, that the perfection of art consists.
John Ruskin
Image
I cannot but think it an evil sign of a people when their houses are built to last for one generation only.
John Ruskin
Image
The finer the nature, the more flaws it will show through the clearness of it and it is a law of this universe that the best things shall be seldomest seen in their best form.
John Ruskin
Image
The common practice of keeping up appearances with society is a mere selfish struggle of the vain with the vain.
John Ruskin
Image
Make yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts. None of us knows what fairy palaces we may build of beautiful thought-proof against all adversity. Bright fancies, satisfied memories, noble histories, faithful sayings, treasure houses of precious and restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb, nor pain make gloomy, nor poverty take away from us.
John Ruskin
Image
That which is required in order to the attainment of accurate conclusions respecting the essence of the Beautiful is nothing morethan earnest, loving, and unselfish attention to our impressions of it.
John Ruskin