What was Leo Tolstoy’s 1897 essay on aesthetics called?
Answer
What Is Art?
Leo Tolstoy’s 1897 essay on aesthetics was called What Is Art?
In What Is Art?, Tolstoy argues that art is not primarily decoration, entertainment, or the expression of elite taste. He defines genuine art as the communication of feeling from artist to audience, creating a shared human experience.
The essay also gives art a moral and social dimension. Tolstoy praises works that communicate sincere, widely human emotions and criticizes art he considers artificial, obscure, or produced mainly for wealthy elites. His argument reflects his broader belief that culture should serve human fellowship rather than status.
The essay is often discussed in relation to Tolstoy’s later religious and ethical writings. It is not a conventional art-history survey, nor is it limited to painting or literature. Tolstoy applies his definition to music, drama, fiction, and other forms. Its title is sometimes written with a question mark, matching the English title used for the work.