There is no doubt at all that John Ruskin was an odd bird indeed. But good Lord, the man had Opinions. In 1848, Ruskin toured northern France with his bride (poor girl), and I assume, earlier Italy. It was here that he fell in love with (certain examples) of Gothic architecture. For Ruskin, architecture was the first of the arts, because it was not created by a person, but rather by a culture (his primary examples being cathedrals that took, in some cases, hundreds […]
Well, that’s just your opinion, man.
The Seven Lamps of Architecture by John Ruskin