John Ruskin as the famous Victorian era art critic, poet and prolific prose artist has already earned a special place in context to the discussion of modern artworks and criticism. This elaborate biography- The Life of John Ruskin by W. G. Collingwood is a critical discussion on Ruskin’s life, work and influence is a decisive work to understand his life, time and works.
The Book One of the volume consisting of total 10 chapters dealt with various stages of 
John Ruskin’s life, from the artist’s early childhood, his ancestry, childhood influences to his grooming as a prolific art critic and writer. In different chapters, his beginning as a prolific young poet, his early inclination towards nature worship, introduction to the modern works of art and paintings, his love affair and marriage, the detailed account of getting prize and accolades from Oxford and his growing delusion with the aristocratic circle around him and his deteriorating health condition have documented with details.
The Book Two of the volume basically dealt with the art criticism that he is so well known of. His admiring criticism of Turner’s works continued and he expressed the close links of the painter’s works with that of the ancients. His seminal work named Modern Art have been discussed in the first chapter, followed by his work on Christian art, a study on Gothic Era architectural works named as Seven Lamps, a book on artworks and architectural works of Venice, work on pre Raphael era art and lastly, his great volumes of lectures on several subjects ranging from political economy of art to the continued aesthetic discourse on emerging expressions of modern art.
Book Three of this authoritative biographical work dealt with the most matured topics of interest of the artist. As the author expressed, following the publication of the last installment of his seminal work Modern Painters, Ruskin began to utilize art criticism as a vehicle to talk about major polemic topics including religion, ethics and economics. From this time, as the author expressed, he took art as more of a text rather than his focused theme. Facing the intensely intimidating war and political scenario in the late 19th century Europe, he developed a political and social doctrine that would continue to find an audience across niches from all over the world. His expressed role as a hermit and heretic at this stage of life has been well documented and discussed here.
From little boy poet to becoming as the most important art critic of his time to his ultimate transformation in the role of a hermit and heretic lecturing on ethics and social issues, the book captured this prodigious author in totality. This has been far beyond the mere biographical accounts as it incorporated his artistic wisdom, almost all his subtle leaning and interests and his greater social and philosophical vision beyond the discourse on art and artworks. In that sense this elaborate biography inherits the great tradition of looking at the life of a prodigy with a broader vision of his historical contribution and his influence on the future of art beyond the lived experience of his time.
John Ruskin throughout the latter half of the Nineteenth century and beyond was considered as an original thinker on art who took his discussion on modern art to the level of a refined discourse that influenced generations of thinkers, artists and critics. Naturally, taking a closer look at his life, time, major influences and accolades, the development of his thoughts, his works and his continuing legacy is a hilarious task that W.G Collingwood as the author of this work succeeded to reach through.
The book deserves positive attention and praise for incorporating a scientific approach to the analysis of the insinuations that led to the development of the latest approaches and thoughts. This typical psychoanalytical focus on the relatively unnoticeable happenings in the artist’s life gave the book a novelistic charm. Collingwood discussed his thoughts and artistic leanings, not just from typical biographers approach, but tried to dig into the relevant influences in his life, time and influences that shaped those thoughts. Deciphering the artistic wisdom of a prodigy like John Ruskin (architecture.about.com/od/greatarchitects/p/ruskin.htm) not only requires years of scholarly meditation on the author’s work, but also an expansive study on the history of art in general. This authoritative and scholarly study achieved this mastery of artistic wisdom and analysis to the right degree.
