JOHN RUSKIN’S LABOR WITH TIM BARRINGER

JOHN RUSKIN’S LABOR WITH TIM BARRINGER

John Ruskin (1819–1900) was a Victorian polymath whose critical writings spanned art, science, architecture, environmentalism, and social justice for the working class. Especially in his later years, the concept of labor stood at the very heart of Ruskin’s interests. From his defense of the Pre-Raphaelites though his denunciation of capitalism and admiration for the ironworkers of Sheffield, to the utopian and dystopian visions of Fors Clavigera (his published letters of support for the workers of Great Britain), Ruskin saw labor as the core both of ethics and aesthetics. In this talk, Barringer argues we still have much to learn from Ruskin’s complex and constructive understanding of labor as a vital, creative force.

Tim Barringer is Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art at Yale University. His book Men at Work: Art and Labour in Victorian Britain was largely concerned with the writings of John Ruskin. He has published widely on the art of Britain and its empire and on American landscape painting. He has cocurated many international loan exhibitions including American Sublime, Art and Emancipation in Jamaica, Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant Garde, and Victorian Radicals. His writings on art and music have appeared in Art History and in edited collections.

Organized by the USC Libraries and the Ruskin Art Club.

USC parking instructions will be emailed to you on September 24, 2025.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Doheny Memorial Library, Room 240, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States