On The Gothic.

"A great man will do great things as easily as a small man will do small thing."
 John Ruskin.

John Ruskin. (1819-1900): The Greatest English Philosopher, and all round splendid chap.

    

   Having recently lent Ruskin's essay, On The Gothic, to my good friend Ricky (one of the greatest living poets) I was reminded of just how fascinating the book is.

   It begins by describing Gothic Architecture, and leads to criticism of the capitalist system of mass production and an exploration of the human condition. Socially and politically it is as, or more, left wing than Marx, with an additional degree of humanity and wit. The main argument runs as follows;

   Gothic architecture, unlike classical architecture, uses imperfect angles (arches rather than circles), Classic architecture attempts to represent or imitate the perfect work of the divine, where as the Gothic represents the imperfect nature of humanity. Gothic architecture, in contrast to modern archduchess, is imperfect and unique, in that it is made by individual craftsmen (for example, every gargoyle on Gothic churches is different, and may have some flaw, because every one is made by hand by a different craftsman). The vast majority of modern architecture (and almost all modernly constructed material things) are made by machines and a great deal of unskilled workers. 

   The point is two fold. Firstly, that humanity ought, as in Gothic architecture, to embrace its imperfect and individual nature. Secondly, that it is dehumanising (as well as artistically vulgar) for people to be forced to work in mass production, where they have no chance to develop their skills or to expression themselves. The theory is similar to Marxist Alienation of Labour. Before the Industrial Revolution, almost every working person was a craftsman of some kind, now the majority of people are expected to work like identical machines. Capitalism, like classical architecture, attempts to reproduce prefect at the cost of humanity.

   It would be fascinating to see what Ruskin would say if he were here now. No doubt the continued growth of capitalism would horrify him, as would this world of celebrity worship and 'plastic people'.

   What would he think of modern Gothic culture? Whilst there can be a degree of pretension, the expression of individuality is still an important part of The Gothic.