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.
Modris Eksteins presented a tour-de-force interpretation of the political, social and cultural climate of the early twentieth century. His sources were not merely the more traditional sources of the historian: political, military and economic accounts; rather, he drew from the rich, heady brew of art, music, dance, literature and philosophy as well. Eksteins examined ways in which life influenced, imitated, and even became art. Eksteins argues that life and art, as well as death, became so intermeshed as to be indistinguishable from one another.
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
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
Throughout the story, Tolstoy gives us a clear reasoning as to why he writes so deeply and meaningfully, but also leaves plenty of room for our own interpretation. Combining the two structural elements of pathos and metaphors in his writing helped give a well-defined reason to his intended audience of what he was trying to say. Over all, Tolstoy’s illustrative language was beautifully written and got the message across about making sense of death and accepting
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.
The color way choice, chaotic lines and idea at a glance is meant to “push the experience of the artist” onto the audience and when it actually succeeds in doing so, Tolstoy defines that as “art” (108). He makes the argument that the real purpose of art is beyond creating “pleasure”(43). Connecting his views back to his religion, he believes that “the purpose of true and good art” is meant to “rid ourselves of the pernicious results of harmful art” (174). He lays out his main definition of art, saying the activity of at is “to evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then, by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds, or forms expressed in ivords, so to transmit that feeling that others may experience the same feeling”, all don’t through “external signs” (50). The entire purpose of this text is to try and figure out the purpose and functionality of art. What does art do? What is art made for and how is this proven? With such an abstract idea, Tolstoy manages to give a concrete idea of what art is and from that, a solid distinguishing format can be formed to discern what “good” art really is, instead of basing it solely on execution of realism. He does this in a format that can come off as if he listing requirements for a composition to be considered art. As long as all the requirements or qualifications are met,
Tolstoy wrote What Is Art? in the year 1896, a time in which the Russian Empire was in full-swing and there was more freedom and surplus of goods. This allowed art to not be a handicap on society, making it socially acceptable to create and enjoy. On the contrary, Mo Tzu’s Against Music was written circa 425 BCE, a time commonly known as the Warring States period. This time was characterized by frequent warring and strife. Therefore, it makes sense that Tzu would find music impractical in a time of war. After all, there was a lack of able-bodied people to farm because of the war. Thus, making it unlikely for people to be trained to perform pieces that did not increase the quality of life of the common men and women, but rather halting production of life sustaining goods and
He starts off by speaking to what beauty is, and it’s definition. Tolstoy has declined any type of definition of art based on a concept of “beauty”. There is no objective way of describing or defining beauty. Tolstoy’s thoughts are that beauty is what pleases us. My disagreement on that is, there are many different things that could please me but could not please another individual. Beauty to me might be something inner, while someone else can argue that it’s all about outside looks. Tolstoy refers to beauty’s definition as absolutely perfect. He states the type of pleasure we tend to obtain from beauty is that which satisfies us without inducing any desire in
...es Art an inner power struggle. Subsequently, Art becomes resentful. Art’s resentment towards Vladek does not allow him to emotionally mature. Yet through writing Art forgives his father and becomes a man.
The aesthetic movement was an artistic and literary movement that was centered on the saying “art for art’s sake” and arguing that art was not to be utilitarian or practical. The movement wanted art to exist for the sake of its beauty alone, and that it did not need to serve any political or didactic purpose. The pieces of art created by the artists in the movement did not tell stories or sermons; their art was visual, delightful, hinting at sensual desires; their poetry was pure. The proponents of the movement say that the experience of art is the most intense experience available in life and that nothing should be allowed to restrict it. The intensity of the aesthetic experience is the dominant goal in human life. If there are morally unwanted things of art, they do not really matter in contrast to this all-important experience which art can give.
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?
It can be written in the text form of literature and poetry, enacted in the form of music and theatre, and drawn on a canvas through art and sculpture. This concept is illustrated in, “The Cultural Importance of the Arts.” Susan Langer was a notable 20th century American philosopher who mainly focused her work on artistic expression and linguistic analysis. Her purpose for writing this argument is to explain how these different forms of art are all essential to the developmental growth of human culture and how if art ceases to exist, then society will “give itself up to formless emotion (Langer).” Langer also believes that the primary function of art should be to “objectify feeling so we can contemplate and understand it (Langer).” She begins
“In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. Moreover, unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it.” This quote by Ernst Fischer, a German composer, means that truth in art exposes the parts of society, and of life, that no one wants to see. In order for art to change society, it must first reflect the fears and failures of its people. The artist can change how people think of themselves and the world by using less conventional methods of creating art. The artist, in doing this, introduces new ideas of human placement in time and space, new frontiers of thought, that are furthered by the disciplines of science and philosophy. The artist works to introduces unique- and sometimes offensive- ideas so that society will be exposed to new ways of thinking and understanding the world. The artist does this through experimentation with color, style, and form. Therefore, the purpose of the artist should be to challenge how individuals perceive themselves and the offensive aspects of society reflected in art to bring about innovations in the greater society.
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...