ABSTRACT
Ruskin 'the champion of the Pre-Raphaelites' remains a certainty of modern criticism. Supposedly heralds of a new stage of civilisation, the Pre-Raphaelites are an example of Ruskin's keenness to render in superlatives all he thought worthy of praise. If news of the Pre-Raphaelites had seemed like a faint sign that the glory of the Italian artists had not entirely been lost as a living presence, this news, in Venice, was more like confirmation that Ruskin's advocacy was destined to fall on deaf ears. Here, it may be news too, that the Pre-Raphaelites' reception was certain to be severe, critical, and perhaps terminal to their careers. John James cared more about his son's reputation than Ruskin did. There, Ruskin had attempted to assure himself that his words had purchase on the modern art world, and, in defending the Pre-Raphaelites, to defend himself. Ruskin had, he proposed, called the Pre-Raphaelites into being with that statement about nature perceived with singleness of heart.
