Ruskin's Educational series, 2nd ed. (1874)
Ruskin's revised catalogue of 300 works for the instruction of undergraduates and his notes on the use of particular examples.
Ruskin's Catalogues: 1 object
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The Ruined Abbey at Haddington Turner
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Ruskin text
102. Ruined Abbey.This I put in the second place, to be a witness to you, once for all, of the right way to work:—doing nothing without clearly-formed intention, nothing in a hurry, nothing more wrong than you can help; all as tenderly as you can, all as instantly as you can; all thoughtfully, and nothing mechanically.
Take those laws for absolute ones, in art and life. The drawing is of Turner’s early time. He was probably younger when he made it than most of you; but he never laid—I can say this positively of him—he never laid one thoughtless line in all his long life.
Try to copy at least a small piece of the drawing. It will soon put all vulgar notions out of your head about rough paper, broad washes, and masterly touches. You will find that Turner’s touches were, for many a day, scholarly, before they were masterly, and so must yours be.
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Details
- Artist/maker
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Turner (Joseph Mallord William Turner) (1775 - 1851)
- Object type
- drawing
- Material and technique
- watercolour over graphite on wove paper
- Associated place
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- Europe › United Kingdom › England › Oxfordshire › Oxford City District › South East area › Iffley › Saint Mary's Church › Saint Mary's Church (subject)
- Provenance
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Presented by John Ruskin to the Ruskin Drawing School (University of Oxford), 1875; transferred from the Ruskin Drawing School to the Ashmolean Museum, c.1949.
- No. of items
- 1
- Accession no.
- WA.RS.ED.102
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Subject terms allocated by curators:
Subjects
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References in which this object is cited include:
References
Wilton, Andrew, The Life and Work of J.M.W. Turner (London: Academy Editions, 1979), no. 73
Ruskin, John, Catalogue of the Educational Series (London: Smith, Elder, 1871), cat. Educational no. 52
Ruskin, John, Catalogue of the Educational Series (London: Spottiswoode, 1874), cat. Educational no. 102
Ruskin, John, Catalogue of Examples Arranged for Elementary Study in the University Galleries (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1870), cat. Educational no. 46
Herrmann, Luke, Ruskin and Turner: A Study of Ruskin as a Collector of Turner, Based on His Gifts to the University of Oxford: Incorporating a Catalogue Raisonné of the Turner Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum (London: Faber & Faber, 1968), no. 60
Herrmann, Luke, and Colin Harrison, J. M. W. Turner, Ashmolean Museum Handbooks (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2000), no. 4
Ruskin, John, ‘The Ruskin Art Collection at Oxford: Catalogues, Notes and Instructions’, Edward T. Cook and Alexander Wedderburn, eds, The Works of John Ruskin: Library Edition, 39 (London: George Allen, 1903-1912), 21, cat. Educational no. 102
Ruskin, John, ‘Notes By Mr. Ruskin ... on His Drawings by the Late J. M. W. Turner, R. A., [and] on His Own Handiwork Illustrative of Turner’, Edward T. Cook and Alexander Wedderburn, eds, The Works of John Ruskin: Library Edition, 39 (London: George Allen, 1903-1912), 13, no. 5 = XIII.415-416
Location
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- Western Art Print Room
Position in Ruskin’s Collection
Ruskin's Catalogues
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Ruskin's Educational series, 1st ed. (1871)
52 Ruined abbey. Early unfinished drawing by Turner. -
Ruskin's Educational series, 2nd ed. (1874)
102. Ruined abbey. Early unfinished drawing by Turner. -
Ruskin's Catalogue of Examples (1870)
46. Unfinished drawing of ruined abbey. (Turner.)This is a perfect example of Turner’s method of work in his early time—every colour deliberately chosen, and set in its place like Florentine mosaic.
