We spent the year 2026 reading Ruskin’s masterpiece Modern Painters V. At the heart of that summation of Ruskin’s epic defense of the landscapes of JMW Turner is Ruskin’s chapter on “the law of help,” in which he asserts a common ecological interconnectedness between artistic composition, the processes of nature, and the ordering of human society. These November sessions are meant to give us an opportunity to reflect together on the broader themes of Modern Painters V and to consider their ramifications in Ruskin’s work on economy and social reform after 1860.
We had hoped to have the assistance of Prof. Mark Frost, who has written with special insight on Ruskin’s ecological mindset, in these two studies. Unfortunately, medical issues in Dr. Frost’s family have complicated his availability. Armed with a key essay of Frost’s, “Of Trees and Men: The law of Help in Modern Painters V,” along with other material he has provided, including suggested passages in Ruskin we might discuss, we’re going ahead with the sessions as scheduled.
We will be discussing Frost’s article, first published in Nineteenth Century Prose (Vol. 38, #2, Fatih University, Istanbul) in 2011. Please read in preparation for the sessions and access the article here.