Tolstoy and Arts Primary Purpose


In What Is Art, Tolstoy emphasizes art's ability to unite people and convey moral truths. It is commonly understood that art's value is drawn from its power to transcend emotions and foster human connection.
Simple, raw expressions can evoke stronger connections and resonate more deeply with the audience rather than technically complex or realistic renderings. Tolstoy writes,

"Art is a human activity, and consequently does not exist for its own sake, but is valuable or objectionable in proportion as it is serviceable or harmful to mankind. The object of this activity is to transmit to others the feelings the artist has experienced. Such feelings—intentionally re-evoked and successfully transmitted to others—are the subject matter of all art."(Tolstoy 1904)

Tolstoy believes that art's primary purpose is to communicate feelings and reveal universal truths, enabling a shared emotional experience. As a social tool, art has always been a method of teaching. Art illustrates the world around us, from demonstrating landmarks and religious iconography to social storytelling and moral education. Tolstoy argues that if too much emphasis is placed on technical aspects, the message and depth of communication can easily be lost, and he believes this is what defines the significance of the art.

A core tenet of What is Art is the notion that an artist can infect other people with their feelings. The power to bestow an intimate emotion and personal experience is unique to the expression of the artist over the intricate details of craftsmanship, which is another reason Tolstoy states art is more significant than craft. Art that infects another person is an essential element as it can represent cultural significance by telling a unique story about the origin of the artist and the people. Representation allows the audience to feel empathy, unity, or curiosity, and he writes about the significance of social class and order. He describes how a farmer of the lower class might live and care for their land in Russia vs a farmer in a small village in England. Art can provide this context, and how it may differ can be conveyed through depictions in art such as landscapes, architecture, and portraits.

Lousie Bourgeois famously said, “I like to be a glass house. There is no mask in my work.” Bourgeois embraces Tolstoy's perspective and aligns with the notion that art should be a medium for self-awareness and honesty, highlighting the significance of authentic human connection over technical proficiency.

In her 98 years, her work explored intense emotions and psychoanalysis in many themes and motifs. Although she often favored painting with simplistic forms, her inky paintings and aqua prints were emotionally driven. In her final years, she began to produce many works on the theme of pregnancy, childbearing, and motherhood as if she were reliving it 70 years later.



The Family (2007)














Cell XVIII (2000)









References:
Tolstoy, L. (2021). What Is Art? (A. Maude, Trans.; T. Lindell & D. King, Producers). Originally written  (1897)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflection

Image
My experience in this course has allowed me to focus on 20th-century artists while gathering observations on their artwork and the similarities in theme and concept. While reflecting on the writings of Danto, Greenberg, Tolstoy, and Dewey, I considered these theories in conjunction with the art movements of the last 100 years. This context was enormously helpful in understanding the profound shift in today's art movements and the artist's role. I see an evolution in art as a platform for engagement and activism. Although the change is often slow and nonlinear, I recognize the arts' potential to catalyze dialogue and change.  Beyond an aesthetic pursuit, McLuhan, Benjamin, and Baudrillard have led us towards a collective appreciation of how art functions in society and a vital medium of understanding in a technologically advanced and changing world.  With the foundational context of Art 630 (non-Western art), where we studied the origins of ancient art movements, I especiall...
Read more

Dante on Warhol's, Brillo Box

Image
The art critic, Arthur Danto in Vol. 61 of The Journal of Philosophy, “The Art World” (1964)  draws upon Socrates' theory on art as a mirror held up to nature, “reflecting what we can already see, so art, insofar mirrorlike, yields idle accurate duplications of the appearances of things, and is of no cognitive benefit whatever.” Danto’s observations on the philosophy of art “requires something that the eye cannot decry—an atmosphere of artistic theory, a knowledge of the history of art: an art world.” (Danto 1964).    Brillo Box, (Pop Art) 1964 Andy Warhol blurred the lines between commercial art and fine art, his famous work, “Brillo Box (1964) displays facsimiles of the logo for Brillo Pad cartons, stacked neatly in a tower, four boxes high. The bold red and blue block letters in a playful and cartoon-like font replicate the colors of the American flag and evoke a sentiment of bucolic suburban life, the routine of household chores, and a snapshot of American domesticit...
Read more

Dewey’s Art as Experience and the Aesthetic Prowess of Judith Rothschild

Image
Dewey’s philosophy of Art As Experience (1934) describes the idea as a “rhythm of intake and outtake". He writes that an aesthetic experience should involve a certain quality of unity and wholeness that occurs before reflection. He believed that if the audience encountered a unified and dynamic experience during their engagement, followed by an impression or reflection the full experience or rhythm would be complete. For example, while walking among Japanese gardens, or becoming engrossed in the symphony an aesthetic experience becomes art. This intake of a unified experience prompts an outtake of response and reflection creating a whole rhythm. Dewey’s idea extends beyond the gallery and the viewer and affects the artist in a similar rhythm as they create and merge experience, ideas, and emotions with art through the intake and outtake of the creative process. Dewey’s core concept of experience defines art as being that is more than the final product for the artist and the audien...
Read more