Natura i przemysł w pracach Johna Ruskina

Abstract

Nature and industry are leitmotifs in the work of John Ruskin, a poet, artist, outstanding art critic, and expert in Gothic and minerals. His long life and research interests reflect the socio-economic transformations taking place throughout the nineteenth century. The author of The Stones of Venice criticized industrialization and the accompanying consumerism. In his reflections on the world of nature and industry, Ruskin saw symptoms of cultural regression. In this world, man has become an addition to the machine. The writer criticized predatory capitalism, which was dominated by economic exploitation of the worker. Rapid modernization also contributed to the destruction of the landscape, pollution of the air and rivers. Ruskin’s utopian project of changing work styles was a social and aesthetic project. Returning to nature was supposed to have a therapeutic function; the escape from a barren life towards work performed without the use of machines was supposed to unleash the creativity of the individual and, consequently, contribute to his or her self-fulfillment. In a broader scope, this project was associated with the transformation of reality, including the revitalization of national culture, restoring its spontaneity. Ruskin was concerned about the overproduction of items unnecessary in everyday existence. The postulate of returning to nature was crucial in his work; the writer believed that it was the original source of aesthetic experiences. Undoubtedly, Ruskin’s views were pioneering in terms of awakening ecological sensitivity and promoting the principles of protection and conservation of monuments.