Comparing Texts: The Question of Art

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Tolstoy focuses on the nature and role of art, explaining the manner in which it can depict moral values. Basically, he demonstrates beauty using aesthetic theory. Tolstoy states that it is hard to define beauty in an objective manner; hence it cannot be relied on as the basis to describe it.

In essence, based on aesthetic theory, art is not simply intended to create beauty, pleasure or entertainment. It is rather a communication platform that forms a useful channel of expressing an experience or other issues of human conditions.

Comparing Texts: The Question of Art

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For instance, Tolstoy alleges that “a man suffers expressing his suffering by groans and spasms, and this suffering is transmits itself to other…..” (41). The ability of a person to receive another individuals feelings, and experiences that define art.

Being an expression of feelings and experiences helps the audience to share the very feelings or experience. Tolstoy asserts that feelings may be strong, weak, good, bad, or an admiration triggered by a beautiful arabesque, is all art (42-43).

Comparing Texts: The Question of Art

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Art is viewed as a contradiction to the common perception of the present-day that believes that art is good as long as it gives pleasure or beauty, which is mistaken (Tolstoy 45). Moreover, a good art has not only form but also content that is related to feelings they trigger.

On the other hand, bad art is repetitious, or unsophisticated. Therefore, a useful attribute of art is its genuineness. A true artwork depicts feeling and original views. The major feelings that art can depict are associated with religious sensitivity.

Comparing Texts: The Question of Art

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Similarly, aesthetic theory presents the basis of excluding a number of arts as good art since good art should portray the particular religious experience. With respect to aesthetic theory, Tolstoy states that Bach and Mozart is a good art while Baudelaire and Mallarmé, poetry as bad art.

This aesthetic theory makes it necessary to consider the question of whether aesthetic values are the same as moral and social values. Tolstoy excludes many forms of art from what he considers to be “good” art because he believes that “good” art must communicate some form of religious experience.