Surname: Ruskin Forename(s): John b. 8 February 1819. d. 20 January 1900. Nationality: English. VIAF.
Major Victorian art critic, social critic, and polymath. Educated at Christ Church,
Oxford. Champion of J. M. W. Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites. Married Effie Gray on
10 April 1848, but the marriage was annulled in 1854 on the grounds of non-consummation;
in 1855 Effie married the artist John Everett Millais. Ruskin was the author of the
hugely influential Modern Painters (1843-1860, five volumes). Appointed as the first Oxford Slade Professor of Fine
Art in 1869. In 1871 founded the Guild of St George as well as the Oxford Ruskin School
of Drawing and Fine Art. Sued in 1877 by the artist James McNeill Whistler for libel;
Ruskin lost the case, but damages were only one farthing. Biographical information:
ODNB. (AC)