ABSTRACT
Ruskin believed strongly in the damaging effects of architectural restoration. In Seven Lamps, he argued: "Neither by the public, nor by those who have the care of public monuments, is the true meaning of the word restoration understood. Ruskin offered preservation as a way forward. He defined it as the delaying of the inevitable physical deterioration of buildings, with minimal repair work as needed to retain the original work done by the builders and the craftsmen. This chapter takes the debate further as it argues that one of the key reasons behind Ruskin's rejection of restoration was his very particular take on life. Mark Swenarton explains that "Ruskin shared the Romantics' belief that art was the product of, and addressed to, the full creative powers of the human spirit". Like other Victorians, Ruskin wanted to imagine a model of immortality or eternal life in which "writers and artists lived through their works".
