Libel Case
It was in Fors Clavigera that Ruskin published his attack on the paintings of James McNeill Whistler, which had been exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1876. He attacked them as the epitome of capitalist production in art, created with minimum effort for maximum output. Ruskin's abusive language led Whistler to sue for libel. Whistler won the case, but only got one farthing in damages. Ruskin withdrew from art criticism for a period following the case.
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