John Ruskin (born 8th February, 1819, London) was an art critic and a versatile artist, a friend of the famous English painter William Turner, and was himself a painter, as well as remembered for his literary and poetic works.
He was a teacher of Oscar Wilde and was admired by Tolstoy, Proust and Gandhi. He influenced the Arts and Crafts movements and is considered as an inspiration for Art Nouveau.
Ruskin was a particular character, a critic of the emerging industrial society; he had a deep love for art and craftsmanship, which he felt were being unacknowledged.
The exhibition John Ruskin: The Power of Seeing opened on the 26th January, 2019 in London to mark the bicentenary of his birth, bringing together 190 of his most important works of art, including paintings, drawings and daguerreotypes.