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Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of John Ruskin cover

Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of John Ruskin

Chapter 136: SECTION V.
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About This Book

A compiled guide presenting an organized listing of the writer's major publications, each entry accompanied by tables of contents, chapter headings, and representative passages to aid navigation. Material ranges from polemical lectures and analytical essays on art and architecture—examining tone, color, chiaroscuro, space, sky, and vegetation—to poetical and shorter narrative pieces and instructional texts on drawing. Volumes and sections are grouped by title and number, offering readers a structural overview and selected extracts that illustrate key themes and methods across the corpus.

Chapter V., Effects of Light rendered by Modern Art.

§  1. Reasons for merely, at present, naming, without examining the particular effects of light rendered by Turner. 266
§  2. Hopes of the author for assistance in the future investigation of them. 266

SECTION IV.

OF TRUTH OF EARTH.

Chapter I., Of General Structure

§  1. First laws of the organization of the earth, and their importance in art. 270
§  2. The slight attention ordinarily paid to them. Their careful study by modern artists. 271
§  3. General structure of the earth. The hills are its action, the plains its rest. 271
§  4. Mountains come out from underneath the plains, and are their support. 272
§  5. Structure of the plains themselves. Their perfect level, when deposited by quiet water. 273
§  6. Illustrated by Turner's Marengo. 273
§  7. General divisions of formation resulting from this arrangement. Plan of investigation. 274

Chapter II., Of the Central Mountains

§  1. Similar character of the central peaks in all parts of the world. 275
§  2. Their arrangements in pyramids or wedges, divided by vertical fissures. 275
§  3. Causing groups of rock resembling an artichoke or rose. 276
§  4. The faithful statement of these facts by Turner in his Alps at Daybreak. 276
§  5. Vignette of the Andes and others. 277
§  6. Necessary distance, and consequent aerial effect on all such mountains. 277
§  7. Total want of any rendering of their phenomena in ancient art. 278
§  8. Character of the representations of Alps in the distances of Claude. 278
§  9. Their total want of magnitude and aerial distance. 279
§ 10. And violation of specific form. 280
§ 11. Even in his best works. 280
§ 12. Farther illustration of the distant character of mountain chains. 281
§ 13. Their excessive appearance of transparency. 281
§ 14. Illustrated from the works of Turner and Stanfield. The Borromean Islands of the latter. 282
§ 15. Turner's Arona. 283
§ 16. Extreme distance of large objects always characterized by very sharp outline. 283
§ 17. Want of this decision in Claude. 284
§ 18. The perpetual rendering of it by Turner. 285
§ 19. Effects of snow, how imperfectly studied. 285
§ 20. General principles of its forms on the Alps. 287
§ 21. Average paintings of Switzerland. Its real spirit has scarcely yet been caught. 289

Chapter III., Of the Inferior Mountains

§  1. The inferior mountains are distinguished from the central, by being divided into beds. 290
§  2. Farther division of these beds by joints. 290
§  3. And by lines of lamination. 291
§  4. Variety and seeming uncertainty under which these laws are manifested. 291
§  5. The perfect expression of them in Turner's Loch Coriskin. 292
§  6. Glencoe and other works. 293
§  7. Especially the Mount Lebanon. 293
§  8. Compared with the work of Salvator. 294
§  9. And of Poussin. 295
§ 10. Effects of external influence on mountain form. 296
§ 11. The gentle convexity caused by aqueous erosion. 297
§ 12. And the effect of the action of torrents. 297
§ 13. The exceeding simplicity of contour caused by these influences. 298
§ 14. And multiplicity of feature. 299
§ 15. Both utterly neglected in ancient art. 299
§ 16. The fidelity of treatment in Turner's Daphne and Leucippus. 300
§ 17. And in the Avalanche and Inundation. 300
§ 18. The rarity among secondary hills of steep slopes or high precipices. 301
§ 19. And consequent expression of horizontal distance in their ascent. 302
§ 20. Full statement of all these facts in various works of Turner.—Caudebec, etc. 302
§ 21. The use of considering geological truths. 303
§ 22. Expression of retiring surface by Turner contrasted with the work of Claude. 304
§ 23. The same moderation of slope in the contours of his higher hills. 304
§ 24. The peculiar difficulty of investigating the more essential truths of hill outline. 305
§ 25. Works of other modern artists.—Clarkson Stanfield. 305
§ 26. Importance of particular and individual truth in hill drawing. 306
§ 27. Works of Copley Fielding. His high feeling. 307
§ 28. Works of J. D. Harding and others. 308

Chapter IV., Of the Foreground

§  1. What rocks were the chief components of ancient landscape foreground. 309
§  2. Salvator's limestones. The real characters of the rock. Its fractures, and obtuseness of angles. 309
§  3. Salvator's acute angles caused by the meeting of concave curves. 310
§  4. Peculiar distinctness of light and shade in the rocks of nature. 311
§  5. Peculiar confusion of both in the rocks of Salvator. 311
§  6. And total want of any expression of hardness or brittleness. 311
§  7. Instances in particular pictures. 312
§  8. Compared with the works of Stanfield. 312
§  9. Their absolute opposition in every particular. 313
§ 10. The rocks of J. D. Harding. 313
§ 11. Characters of loose earth and soil. 314
§ 12. Its exceeding grace and fulness of feature. 315
§ 13. The ground of Teniers. 315
§ 14. Importance of these minor parts and points. 316
§ 15. The observance of them is the real distinction between the master and the novice. 316
§ 16. Ground of Cuyp. 317
§ 17. And of Claude. 317
§ 18. The entire weakness and childishness of the latter. 318
§ 19. Compared with the work of Turner. 318
§ 20. General features of Turner's foreground. 319
§ 21. Geological structure of his rocks in the Fall of the Tees. 319
§ 22. Their convex surfaces and fractured edges. 319
§ 23. And perfect unity. 320
§ 24. Various parts whose history is told us by the details of the drawing. 321
§ 25. Beautiful instance of an exception to general rules in the Llanthony. 321
§ 26. Turner's drawing of detached blocks of weathered stone. 322
§ 27. And of complicated foreground. 323
§ 28. And of loose soil. 323
§ 29. The unison of all in the ideal foregrounds of the Academy pictures. 324
§ 30. And the great lesson to be received from all. 324

SECTION V.

OF TRUTH OF WATER.

Chapter I., Of Water, as Painted by the Ancients

§  1. Sketch of the functions and infinite agency of water. 325
§  2. The ease with which a common representation of it may be given. The impossibility of a faithful one. 325
§  3. Difficulty of properly dividing the subject. 326
§  4. Inaccuracy of study of water-effect among all painters. 326
§  5. Difficulty of treating this part of the subject. 328
§  6. General laws which regulate the phenomena of water. First, The imperfection of its reflective surface. 329
§  7. The inherent hue of water modifies dark reflections, and does not affect right ones. 330
§  8. Water takes no shadow. 331
§  9. Modification of dark reflections by shadow. 332
§ 10. Examples on the waters of the Rhone. 333
§ 11. Effect of ripple on distant water. 335
§ 12. Elongation of reflections by moving water. 335
§ 13. Effect of rippled water on horizontal and inclined images. 336
§ 14. To what extent reflection is visible from above. 336
§ 15. Deflection of images on agitated water. 337
§ 16. Necessity of watchfulness as well as of science. Licenses, how taken by great men. 337
§ 17. Various licenses or errors in water painting of Claude, Cuyp, Vandevelde. 339
§ 18. And Canaletto. 341
§ 19. Why unpardonable. 342
§ 20. The Dutch painters of sea. 343
§ 21. Ruysdael, Claude, and Salvator. 344
§ 22. Nicolo Poussin. 345
§ 23. Venetians and Florentines. Conclusion. 346

Chapter II., Of Water, as Painted by the Moderns

§  1. General power of the moderns in painting quiet water. The lakes of Fielding. 348
§  2. The calm rivers of De Wint, J. Holland, &c. 348
§  3. The character of bright and violent falling water. 349
§  4. As given by Nesfield. 349
§  5. The admirable water-drawing of J. D. Harding. 350
§  6. His color; and painting of sea. 350
§  7. The sea of Copley Fielding. Its exceeding grace and rapidity. 351
§  8. Its high aim at character. 351
§  9. But deficiency in the requisite quality of grays. 352
§ 10. Variety of the grays of nature. 352
§ 11. Works of Stanfield. His perfect knowledge and power. 353
§ 12. But want of feeling. General sum of truth presented by modern art. 353

Chapter III., Of Water, as Painted by Turner

§  1. The difficulty of giving surface to smooth water. 355
§  2. Is dependent on the structure of the eye, and the focus by which the reflected rays are perceived. 355
§  3. Morbid clearness occasioned in painting of water by distinctness of reflections. 356
§  4. How avoided by Turner. 357
§  5. All reflections on distant water are distinct. 357
§  6. The error of Vandevelde. 358
§  7. Difference in arrangement of parts between the reflected object and its image. 359
§  8. Illustrated from the works of Turner. 359
§  9. The boldness and judgment shown in the observance of it. 360
§ 10. The texture of surface in Turner's painting of calm water. 361
§ 11. Its united qualities. 361
§ 12. Relation of various circumstances of past agitation, &c., by the most trifling incidents, as in the Cowes. 363
§ 13. In scenes on the Loire and Seine. 363
§ 14. Expression of contrary waves caused by recoil from shore. 364
§ 15. Various other instances. 364
§ 16. Turner's painting of distant expanses of water.—Calm, interrupted by ripple. 365
§ 17. And rippled, crossed by sunshine. 365
§ 18. His drawing of distant rivers. 366
§ 19. And of surface associated with mist. 367
§ 20. His drawing of falling water, with peculiar expression of weight. 367
§ 21. The abandonment and plunge of great cataracts. How given by him. 368
§ 22. Difference in the action of water, when continuous and when interrupted. The interrupted stream fills the hollows of its bed. 369
§ 23. But the continuous stream takes the shape of its bed. 370
§ 24. Its exquisite curved lines. 370
§ 25. Turner's careful choice of the historical truth. 370
§ 26. His exquisite drawing of the continuous torrent in the Llanthony Abbey. 371
§ 27. And of the interrupted torrent in the Mercury and Argus. 372
§ 28. Various cases. 372
§ 29. Sea painting. Impossibility of truly representing foam. 373
§ 30. Character of shore-breakers, also inexpressible. 374
§ 31. Their effect how injured when seen from the shore. 375
§ 32. Turner's expression of heavy rolling sea. 376
§ 33. With peculiar expression of weight. 376
§ 34. Peculiar action of recoiling waves. 377
§ 35. And of the stroke of a breaker on the shore. 377
§ 36. General character of sea on a rocky coast given by Turner in the Land's End. 378
§ 37. Open seas of Turner's earlier time. 379
§ 38. Effect of sea after prolonged storm. 380
§ 39. Turner's noblest work, the painting of the deep open sea in the Slave Ship. 382
§ 40. Its united excellences and perfection as a whole. 383

SECTION VI.

OF TRUTH OF VEGETATION.—CONCLUSION.