cshimokita[Photo Forum Moderator]
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"What is Art?" by Leo Tolstoy
May 24, 2017,00:49 AM
"To call up in oneself a feeling once experienced and, having called it up, to convey it by means of movements, lines, colours, sounds, images expressed in words, so that others experience the same feeling - in this consists the activity of art. Art is that human activity which consists in one man's consciously conveying to others, by certain external signs, the feelings he has experienced, and in others being infected by those feelings and also experiencing them."
First published in 1898... while somewhat of a subjective theme, he does raise some interesting points.
Tolstoy rejected (IMO correctly) the idea of "beauty" as a basis for defining art because it is subject to personal interpretation. He then attempts to distinguish between "good" art and "bad" art, in an undertaking that is not at all convincing... and one has to wonder why he even bothered. ... he comes closer to the mark when writing that "art in general is the conveying of various kinds of feelings and we call art in the narrow sense of the word only that which conveys feelings we recognize as important."
Thankfully the book is rather thin and you can accept or reject the arguments with ease.
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"What is Art?" by Leo Tolstoy
By: cshimokita : May 24th, 2017-00:49
" To call up in oneself a feeling once experienced and, having called it up, to convey it by means of movements, lines, colours, sounds, images expressed in words, so that others experience the same feeling - in this consists the activity of art. Art is t...
Tolstoy on art criticism...
By: cshimokita : May 24th, 2017-00:51
" As soon people of of wealth recognized any art as good so long as it afforded pleasure, and this pleasure-affording art began to be remunerated three things happened: art became a profession, art criticism flourished , and art schools were established. ...
Raquel Welch showing her wrist watch to Salvador Dali
By: cshimokita : May 24th, 2017-00:54
While Dali kisses Raquel's hand, in front of his just completed portrait of the actress... Photo by Hulton Archive Not really sure what angle Dali is working on... and/or if the portrait is good art or bad art ; ) ...
Very interesting.
By: J_Warden : May 24th, 2017-06:51
Defining art is a tough business. ;-) " art in general is the conveying of various kinds of feelings and we call art in the narrow sense of the word only that which conveys feelings we recognize as important. " I think that's a reasonable definition, alth...
agreed...
By: cshimokita : May 24th, 2017-07:20
I latched onto Tolstoy's thoughts on "art in the narrow sense" as a counter to his earlier muddle of good vs. bad, which to me was a non-starter. ... as well the concept of an "amateur artist" makes little sense ; )
Thank you Edward...
By: cshimokita : May 24th, 2017-14:52
While researching this I ran across the work of Russian artist Karl Bryullov (1799 to 1852) who is best remembered for his painting " The Last Day of Pompeii ". Bryullov is regarded as a key figure in transition from the Russian neoclassicism to romantici...
Yes, nice painting.....
By: watercolors : May 24th, 2017-15:08
it is funny how suppressed all the Russian art is in the West, my best guess is that here we can not swallow our lack of global " UBERITY" for shortage of a better word. Thank you for sharing. Best Regards Edward
I am....
By: InHavenPro : May 24th, 2017-16:53
in total agreement with your viewpoint Casey on the topic and with the related definitions. Yes, it is all about succeeding in conveying feeling and no, the feeling in question does not necessarily have to be 'important'. His attempt at classification bet...
good quotes...
By: cshimokita : May 24th, 2017-20:47
I would agree with the Christian Bale quote that "art" is not always the purpose behind the activity... to report, to document, etc. are also valid reasons. In this case it may be as a craft or profession or... BTW, nice portrait of Bale. John Malkovich v...
Oh yes,
By: InHavenPro : May 24th, 2017-21:18
I try to pick as nicely done portraits of people as I can find when I decide to add a quote to a portrait. In this instance, his was done by an LA Times staff photographer for a promotional interview he did with the publication back in 2014. I do not howe...
You can reverse image search...
By: cshimokita : May 25th, 2017-02:42
For example using "TinEye" (as one image search engine). The details are as follows: Actor Christian Bale 16-Nov-2013 Photo by Brian Vander Brug Los Angeles Times Contour by Getty Images Normally I don't mind so much if the book, movie, art-work, etc. is ...
Nice....
By: InHavenPro : May 25th, 2017-13:26
image search engine, I've known about them for a while now but have literally never gotten to using any of them simply because I didn't have to. Now I've bookmarked the TinEye website and am sure I will come to seeing how it works soon enough . In regards...
; ) : )
By: cshimokita : May 25th, 2017-14:34
[nt]
True enough...
By: cshimokita : May 26th, 2017-04:28
Leo Tolstoy included " Uncle Tom’s Cabin " on his short list of novels... he was not a big fan of Richard Wagner's " Der Ring des Nibelungen ", nor almost anything by Ludwig van Beethoven... Regarding Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel... " ... we are lef...
From what I have read he was 'unique'...
By: cshimokita : May 26th, 2017-14:12
But I kind of resonated with his short definition of 'art', more so than his justification. I think it stands up on its own merit. I am definitely not a Tolstoy expert ; )
