Mont Saleve c. 1840

John Ruskin made this watercolor and graphite drawing of Mont Salève, likely in the mid-19th century. Ruskin was famously interested in geology, and here, he depicts a mountain as a mass of earth and rock, shaped over millennia by natural forces. Notice how the washes of color bring out the textures of the rock face. There is a real craft to this kind of close looking and exacting rendering, using the precise application of watercolor to evoke a sense of the real. The artist had socialist leanings. He felt that industrialization was alienating, and nature was a balm for the soul. Ruskin was a passionate advocate for the value of skilled labor, and this belief certainly reflects his artwork. "Mont Salève" embodies the artist's worldview, reflecting his social concerns and artistic vision.