Leo Tolstoy compares art to speech by mentioning that art is a form of communication. The communication that Tolstoy writes about in “What Is Art?” is of two types, good and bad. According to Tolstoy, good art is what carries humanity towards perfection (Tolstoy 383). It is this movement forward in humanity that is emphasized by Tolstoy. Tolstoy informs his readers that speech is what teaches knowledge from human history, but art is what teaches the emotions of mankind’s past. As knowledge becomes obsolete in society it is replaced by new and more relevant information. Tolstoy asserts that emotions act the same way. The purpose of art is to express new and more relevant feelings to humankind. The new feelings are for the betterment of humanity, allowing a progression of morality in society.
It is instructive to the reader to point out that Tolstoy's usage of the word “art” speaks of a wide sphere of artistic expressions. Among these expressions are literature, poetry, painting, sculptures and music. According to Tolstoy, it is art that brings mankind together and allows for the commonalities in humanity to be emphasized. Tolstoy describes these commonalities as man's need for union with God and with one another. Good art, for Tolstoy, is art that expresses itself through religious perception. This religious perception is how the culture of its current time views its most important values. This is similar to William Wordsworth’s ideas for literature. It is important to Wordsworth that the author of the work express emotions that the common man can relate to. It is fundamental to Tolstoy, as with Wordsworth, that the work be accessible and understandable to all people. This is why Tolstoy supposed that music is the...
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...t. It is important that art be simultaneously accessible and enjoyable to the common man. According to Tolstoy, a work of art need not follow all of the guidelines that have been given in the past, such as Aristotle's teaching on the Unities, as long as it carries the principles of instruction and enjoyment. Tolstoy believes that the greatest of unities are the unity found in God and with one's neighbor. The purpose of art is to highlight and influence this unification.
Works Cited
Tolstoy, Leo. “What Is Art?” Kaplan, Charles, and William Anderson. Criticism: Major
Statements. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 382-393. Print.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “Biographica Literaria” Kaplan, Charles, and William
Anderson. Criticism: Major Statements. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 261.
Print.
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Leo Tolstoy may have not been always agreeable in the eyes of others, but even enlightened, wholesome characters who challenged the static injustice of the world were either met with resentment or death. Tolstoy had certainly earned the resentment from the radicalism of his religious ideals and his insistence on the reform of Russian hierarchy. While others resented his ideas, others regarded him a brave genius who wrote beautiful works to stand against what is wrong and fight for a world of right.
In conclusion, Tolstoy presents us with the reailty the everyone shields themselves among societal groups or engagements. Through satisfication in careers, luxuries, and leisures. However, are met upon with the resentment of their families or oneself, finding the spirituality one needs in order to find peace within
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Tolstoy wrote what is considered the greatest Russian literature – Anna Karenina and War and Peace. However, his writing shifted away from worldly concerns when he suffered from a midlife crisis, and
Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a reminder that books can provide answers to questions we never asked, but yearned to know. For that reason alone, The Death of Ivan Ilyich should be considered a work of art. However due to the many subtle hints and clues pointing at the underlying Christian nature of the book, it deserves to be added to the list of great modern Christian literature.
Cultures all around the world are multi-faceted, comprising the values, morals, and beliefs of vast groups of people. One component that is woven into all cultures some way or another is art. Whether the art form is music, theatre, or visual art, all cultures value these art forms in different ways. Because of this, there have been some drastically opposing views from two of the greatest minds throughout time. Leo Tolstoy (Russian author of one of the most central works of world literature War and Peace) wrote What Is Art? it states if art is universally understood then it is good and has reason to be appreciated. However, Mo Tzu (a well known Chinese philosopher who wrote and debated political and social philosophy) wrote Against Music which expresses that art is disruptive to work and a waste of taxpayer money. Though the reasonings are enormously different, both have validity in their arguments.
Which I can not fully disagree with that statement because I believe art and language both play a huge role in our lives and progression in this world, no matter what form it is in. Tolstoy argues that art plays a central role in the development of humankind. If language and art are two separate functions, I do not believe that art plays a central role in the development of humankind but art and language as a whole do. Each day, no matter where we are at, or sitting, different forms of art, and expressions from individuals that surrounds
Russian Avant-Garde was born at the start of the 20th century out of intellectual and cultural turmoil. Through the analysis of artworks by Aleksandr Rodchenko and El Lissitzky this essay attempts to explore the freedom experienced by artists after the Russian Revolution in 1917. This avant-garde movement was among the boldest and most advanced in Europe. It signified for many artists an end to the past academic conventions as they began to experiment with the notions of space, following the basic elements of colour, shape and line. They strove for a utopian existence for all benefited by and inspired through the art they created. They worked with, for and alongside the politics of the time. The equality for all that they sought would eventually take from them the freedom of their own artistic individuality.
Igor Stravinsky was born in 1882 and lived to be nearly ninety years old, dying in 1971. What accomplished during his lifetime changed the music world and inspired many musicians to come. He was a very disciplined pianist who loved composing and thinking outside the box. But how did he begin his musical career? What was his music like? Why did he compose and who did he compose for?
For over two thousand years, various philosophers have questioned the influence of art in our society. They have used abstract reasoning, human emotions, and logic to go beyond this world in the search for answers about arts' existence. For philosophers, art was not viewed for its own beauty, but rather for the question of how art and artists can help make our society more stable for the next generation. Plato, a Greek philosopher who lived during 420-348 B.C. in Athens, and Aristotle, Plato’s student who argued against his beliefs, have no exceptions to the steps they had to take in order to understand the purpose of art and artists. Though these two philosophers made marvelous discoveries about the existence of art, artists, and aesthetic experience, Plato has made his works more controversial than Aristotle.
First of all, Leo Tolstoy has influence society because he wrote many famous books and novels that are still widely read by students and teachers, and he has also influenced other authors. First, many of Leo Tolstoy’s books are greatly acknowledged in the literary world today. Many teachers and students still analyze these texts today, as they are considered advanced pieces of literary texts. Also, Leo Tolstoy’s books, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina are still very famous in the literary and academic point of view. Finally, Leo Tolstoy’s literary works have impacted many other authors such as Thomas Mann, Marcel Proust, and Stephen Crane and his literary works still hav...