"Science Mixed with Feeling" : Ruskin and the Observation of the Natural World

In his autobiography, Praeterita (1885–9), Ruskin wrote: “I am proud to think that these drawings of mine, done thirty years ago at the foot of the Matter-horn, are entirely right as examples of mountain drawing, with absolutely correct outline of all that is useful for geological science or landscape art” (35:352). This essay considers the place of drawing, the authority of images, and the proper processes of observation and record in Ruskin’s quest to understand “the entire meaning and system of nature” (3:367), alongside those of his scientific contemporaries. The essay focuses on the use of “shorthand or symbolic” and “memorandum” or “on the spot” drawings as part of field research. It explores tensions between artistic and scientific representations on the respective roles of different media and optical devices and questions concerning visual acuity and experimental image-making as a way of understanding and representing the natural world. Through its examination of Ruskin’s “construction of sight” through the affective as well as perceptive and cognitive aspects of drawing, the essay shows how the genealogy of aesthetics and the history of the empirical sciences are inextricably intertwined. Ruskin’s emphasis on epistemologies of drawing and the science of feeling significantly illuminate ongoing reconsiderations of science.