Ruskin and South Kensington: contrasting approaches to art education

Abstract

Alongside his hugely influential art criticism, and his own art practice, Ruskin made occasional interventions in the teaching of art. This paper considers his contribution to art education in relation to that of ‘South Kensington’, the government-sponsored art education system. It traces his early contacts with Henry Cole, head of the South Kensington system. It then focuses on several lectures he gave at occasions sponsored by South Kensington, and tries to discern how he expressed his differences with the government’s approach. It concludes that South Kensington had much greater practical effects (however open to criticism) than did Ruskin.

Keywords

• art education
• ornament
• conventionalization
• henry cole
• south kensington
• j. a. hammersley