The Stones of VeniceJohn Ruskin, the most influential Victorian art critic, was always fascinated by the melancholy beauty of Venice. During his fourth visit to the city in 1849 he began work on the first volume of what was to become his masterpiece: THE STONES OF VENICE.In some of the most splendid prose of the nineteenth century he describes and explains the three main styles of Venetian architecture - Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance - providing not only an unsurpassed analysis of the flowering of Southern Gothic, but a wonderful guide to the sea-city.Ruskin illustrated most of the important buildings of Venice in delicate and evocative watercolors. Many of these are reproduced in this volume, together with his plates and many of his meticulous drawings. In this sensitively designed new edition of his great book, superb color and monochrome photographs show what he could not. |
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angle apse architect archivolt beautiful beneath brick builders building built Byzantine Byzantine architecture capitals Casa central centre character Christ Christian church colour decoration delicate Doge Ducal Palace early Effie Eighth side examples expression exquisite feeling fifteenth century Fifth side figure foliation Fondaco Foscari fourteenth century Francesco Dandolo Frari gable Gentile Bellini Giotto Gothic architecture Gothic palaces graceful Grand Canal Greek hand John Ruskin leafage light look marble Mark's merely mind Mocenigo mosaic mouldings Murano nature noble Northern observe ornament parapet peculiar perfect period Piazzetta pillars pointed arch pride principal pure reader Renaissance Renaissance architecture represented rest rich Roman Romanesque roof round rude sarcophagus sculpture seen Seventh side shafts Sixth side spandrils spirit Stones of Venice story style thirteenth century tion Titian tomb Torcello traceries Turchi upper arcade Venetian vine virtue wall whole workman