ABSTRACT
Ruskin extends the eighteenth-century theory of association to the politics of human labour, valuing not only what men have thought and felt, but what their hands have handled, and their strength wrought, emphasising the social value of this theme in The Seven Lamps of Architecture. The reclassification of the arts into fine arts opposed to utility, notably poetry, music, painting, sculpture and architecture was problematic for architects. Depicting the bank as an enduring ruin implies that John Soane's architecture is equal to that of classic antiquity. Ruins represent potential as well as loss, and Soane's concern for ruination was inseparable from his fascination for construction. Demolition is essential to construction and building sites often appear ruinous. Robert Smithson describes this as 'ruins in reverse'. Describing the architecture of classical antiquity as an invaluable model, he criticised the literal transfer of architecture from one place to another and emphasised the influence of local conditions such as culture, climate and site.
