The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

Ruskin's Rudimentary series 4th ed. (1872)

Items marked 'M' are drawings "by my own Hand" (by Ruskin), P are photographs, E engravings and A by Ruskin's Assistant, Arthur Burgess.

Rudimentary 4 Cover

Catalogue of the Rudimentary series / 11. Plants

  • These are chiefly for temporary service, though some will be permanently placed, but otherwise arranged. Their purpose is to enforce the practice of making the shade subordinate to the colour, and the greater number of them are Venetian, 15th century, most admirably copied by M. Caldara, and entirely authoritative as to the Venetian practice in this respect.
  • In R|251 my sketch of wood anemone gives the simplest beginning of leaf colour, green and white; and the drawing beneath of a leaf of Berberis Mahonia, by a pupil of my assistant, Mr. Ward, is consummate in finished texture, and, for work to be seen near, is as good as can be. The last seven drawings, in the old English manner, by Mr. Hart, (presented to me by one of my pupils, for this collection) are exemplary in tranquil care and respect for local colour; see the ripe and unripe mulberries, R|275, but as compared with the Venetian work, show the constant English fault of mechanical precision instead of design.

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