From The Stones of Venice - John Ruskin

In section 41of the essay, Ruskin states that "[t]he third constituent element of the Gothic mind was stated to be NATURALISM: that is to say, the love of natural objects for their own sake, and the effort to represent them frankly unconstrained by artistical laws." In class on Tuesday, we explored the differences between various types of architecture, especially between the University of Texas and Oxford University. I spent my summer studying at Oxford and had the pleasure of exposing myself to the ambience of Oxford's gothic architecture. Outside of my bedroom window is a balcony of interlaced stone "vegetation." My windows were pointed arches, similar to many gothic cathedrals, which also had flower-like ridges. Along the exterior of my bedroom is a row of gargoyles in the shapes of happy faces, angry faces, demonic animals, and the like. The main entrance of Brasenose College, where I stayed, is rather bland in comparison to other colleges, but it does have clover structures (characteristic of gothic architecture), and gargoyles. The English emblem of the lion and unicorn are also at the main entrance. In front of Brasenose is the Radcliffe Camera. The camera has Corinthian columns with the usual decorative leaves at the capital. In between some columns is a row of ivy or other vegetation. St. Mary's spire, another example of gothic architecture nearby, is a prime example of man's use of nature in architecture. The verticality of the spire is similar to that of a mountain, as Professor Bump said in class, and its intricate qualities parallel those of nature.