The Stones of Venice - Volume II: The Sea Stories

More than simply a survey of an ancient citys most significant buildings The Stones of Venice¿first published in three volumes between 1851 and 1853¿is an expression of a philosophy of art nature and morality that goes beyond art history and has inspired such thinkers as Leo Tolstoy Marcel Proust and Mahatma Gandhi. Volume II examining the Byzantine era and the architectural developments of Venice¿s Gothic period includes the oft-anthologized chapter ¿The Nature of Gothic ¿ one of the author¿s most important discussions of his key theme ¿the relation of the art of Venice to her moral temper.¿ For Ruskin the Gothic style embodied the same moral truths sought by great art. Informative aesthetic and spiritual this architectural exploration will be appreciated by students and scholars alike. The preeminent art critic of his time British writer JOHN RUSKIN (1819¿1900) had a profound influence upon European painting architecture and aesthetics of the 19th and 20th centuries. His immense body of literary works include Modern Painters Volume I¿IV (1843¿1856); The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849); Unto This Last (1862); Munera Pulveris (1862¿3); The Crown of Wild Olive (1866); Time and Tide (1867); and Fors Clavigera (1871-84).