On the 200th anniversary of art critic John Ruskin’s birth, the Department of Art and Art History is holding a public lecture titled ‘John Ruskin (1819-1900): Travels, nature and art’, by Mark Sagona.

Ruskin was the most significant art critic of the Victorian era and a polymath with wide-ranging interests in education, geology, science, politics, history, mythology and nature.

His writings left a decisive impact on the theory of art, architecture, design and the decorative arts, especially on the design reform movements of the second half of the 19th century.

Besides his written works such as Modern Painters, The Seven Lamps of Architecture and The Stones of Venice, he was a gifted draughtsman and watercolourist with a very good eye for detail. In fact, most of his written works result from his remarkable observation which can be witnessed in his paintings.

This lecture, organised on the second centenary since Ruskin’s birth, will celebrate and discuss his extraordinary artistic talent which emanates from the copious output of drawings and watercolours produced through his many travels across Europe.  

The lecture will be held today at 5.30pm at the Arts Lecture Theatre, University of Malta (near the Old Humanities Building). This event will be followed by refreshments.

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