LDR Category List
Books
CDs
Events/Exhibits
Film/Video
|
Ruskin's Journey: Teaching People to See
Lancaster University Television.
Produced for Lancaster University Television, UK.
48 minutes; Available from Films for the Humanities and Sciences at
800-257-5126 or www.films.com.
Reviewed by Roy R. Behrens, Department of Art, University of Northern
Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50613-0362, U.S.A. E-mail: ballast@netins.net
No one reads art criticism today, not even artists, but the 19th century
British art critic John Ruskin was one of the most famous, widely-read
authors of his time. His writing is admired for its clarity and
resonance, but also because he was interested in not just art, but the
larger, more important issue of "the art of seeing." "Hundreds of people
can talk for one who can think," he wrote, "but thousands can think for
one who can see." In this rich, fascinating film biography, expertly
written and narrated by Michael Wheeler, we are offered a breathtaking
virtual tour of the natural and architectural landmarks (the Swiss Alps,
the Gothic cathedral at Rouen, Venetian architecture, and Brantwood, his
secluded home) that shaped his core beliefs on art, life and
industrialization. The film argues convincingly that the Digital
Revolution is comparable in scale to the Industrial Revolution, and that
Ruskin anticipated a surprising number of today's social problems when
he warned of the long-term collateral harm of mass production.
(Reprinted by permission from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol. 16, No. 1,
Autumn 2000.)
|