SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RUSKIN COLLECTION

More works from the Ruskin Collection can be viewed online via the ArtUK website, HERE.

Explore the archive

Download Study of Moss, Fern and Wood-Sorrel, upon a Rocky River Bank (1875-79)

Study of Moss, Fern and Wood-Sorrel, upon a Rocky River Bank (1875-79)

by John Ruskin

Pen, ink, and watercolour on paper

Painted over a four-year period, this small work is a beautiful example of Ruskin's ability to find profound wonder and spiritual beauty in nature's smallest, most easily overlooked elements.

In 2019, it was described by The Guardian's art critic Jonathan Jones as 'a mesmerising portrayal of green life entwined in the ancient scars and turbulent strata of a steep rocky mass.'

Read a Country Life article about this picture and the artist HERE.

Tagged in: Art, Nature, Rural economy