Opposite Lausanne
Artist
John Ruskin
(British, 1819-1900)
Date19th century
CultureBritish
MediumWatercolor, graphite, ink, and gouache on paper
ClassificationPaintings
ProvenanceGiven by the artist to his cousin, Joan Ruskin Severn [1846-1924]. Acquired on the London art market by Edward L. Carroll, n.d.-1960; donated to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 1960-present
Credit LineGift of Edward L. Carroll, 1960
Object numberSN722
Ruskin was one of the most important figures in Victorian Britain—an art critic, artist, teacher, and prolific writer on subjects ranging from architecture to geology to social reform. He loved Switzerland, especially Lausanne, and traveled there on several occasions. Passionate about nature, he made watercolors on his travels to document what he saw, rather than to create scenes of marketable visual appeal. Though he often depicted rock formations in great detail, here he takes a simplified approach, focusing on the rhythmic line of the mountaintops silhouetted against the sky.
On View
Not on viewMatt (Window): 5 5/8 × 18 1/2 in. (14.3 × 47 cm)
Frame: 12 × 24 in. (30.5 × 61 cm)
circa 1840
late 19th century
