John Ruskin

John Ruskin was an art critic, author and a painter who was born in 1819. A few years later there was a new age called "Industrial Revolution". With this movement machinary had a huge place in human's lives. Machines were replacing humans. Ruskin was watching all these changements. He wrote different books critisizing mass production. With these writings he influences William Morris, the leader of "arts and crafts" movement.

According Ruskin, the new industrialization taking place in Europe and America was a huge mistake which is unstoppable. Ruskin's most radical idea was his total rejection of any machine produced products. He characterized all machine made objects as "dishonest." He believed that handwork brought dignity to the product. He further felt that the industrial work changed the natural rhythms of life by giving bad conditions to workers. He thought that a craftsman is a person who feels the material and also who becomes the material. A craftsman is capable of showing their creativity in their products but a worker is limited by the capacity of a machine. A worker just takes orders, he has limits and he can't use his creativity. He has to obey the instructions given by superiors.

John Ruskin has a great influence in that age. A great movement had started thanks to him and William Morris. It's actually still a huge contradiction. Mass production or craft which one is better. Nowadays craft is more qualified. People pay more for crafts. Does mass produciton makes everything same?With all these limits is it possible to design independently. Mass production has benefits and desavantages especially economically. This argument is impossible to resolve. The most important question is which one do we choose?