Review of Ruskins Reputation

The appeal of Ruskin s philosophy of architecture was paramount during the Victorian period. Professor Robert Kerr, a contemporary of the art critic, had previously espoused the same ideas as Ruskin, but he had left them behind after working twenty 

Ruskin does not hesitate to move from art critic to social critic, demonstrating how the architecture itself can become a commentary on the denigration, deterioration, and degradation of society. Even as he praises the majesty of St. Mark s in The Stones of Venice, he also notes the ironic contrast that takes place in its shadows as the masses ignore its beauty and the poor grovel in their poverty. 

Ruskin observes that society and architecture are invariably connected. 

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