“For when we are interested in the beauty of a thing, the oftener we can see it the better; but when we are interested only by the story of a thing, we get tired of hearing the same tale told over and over again, and stopping always at the same point — we want a new story presently, a newer and better one — and the picture of the day, and novel of the day, become as ephemeral as the coiffure or the bonnet of the day.
Now this spirit is wholly adverse to the existence of any lovely art. If you mean to throw it aside to-morrow, you can never have it to-day.”
-On the Condition of Modern Art, lecture (1867) by John Ruskin
Recently, I’ve been reading John Ruskin, a really terrific essayist from the late 19th century. It’s amazing the unforgiving light he shines on our own post-post-modern age. His writings on economics — which I’m only now investigating, mostly online — seem particularly illuminating. But hard to find! Even for a bookseller like me.
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Before Ruskin (and others, it’s true, but he was a leader)Gothic cathedrals were widely held in low regard. He loved them precisely for the imperfections others found embarrassing:
“And therefore, while in all things we see or do, we are to desire perfection, and strive for it, we are nevertheless not to see the meaner thing, in its narrow accomplishment, above the nobler thing, in its mighty progress; not to esteem smooth minuteness above shattered majesty; not to prefer mean victory to honourable defeat, not to lower the level of our aim, that we may the more surely enjoy the complacency of success.”
This too, of course, can be applied broadly today. Such a great stylist and thinker. Thanks for posting this.
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