As a result, it is possible to easily replace it with all sorts of different ideological schemes. Although he takes a clear stance in favor of Christianity as a valid foundation for morality, his definition of religious perception is flexible. Instead, he supports a moral-based art able to appeal to everyone and not just the privileged few. By gaining awareness of each other’s feelings we can successfully practice empathy and ultimately unite to further mankind’s collective well-being.įurthermore, Tolstoy firmly denies that pleasure is art’s sole purpose. He believes that art is a means of communicating emotion, with the aim of promoting mutual understanding. Tolstoy’s theory has a lot of charming aspects. How can we define art? What is authentic art and what is good art? Leo Tolstoy answered these questions in “What is Art?” (1897), his most comprehensive essay on the theory of art. Leo Tolstoy in a Ploughed Field, Ilya Repin, 1887, Smithsonian
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