Beauty is Truth
Leo Tolstoy on Beauty
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
Leo Tolstoy, the renowned Russian writer, had a distinctive view on beauty, which he articulated in his work "What is Art?" published in 1897. Unlike many of his contemporaries who sought beauty in the form, symmetry, or aesthetic pleasure of art, Tolstoy defined beauty in terms of its ability to convey emotional or spiritual truth. For Tolstoy, the essence of beauty in art was not about pleasing the senses but about fostering a profound connection between the creator and the audience, facilitating a shared experience or feeling.
Tolstoy argued that true art (and thus beauty) involves the transmission of genuine emotions from the artist to the observer. He believed that this communicative process could unite people, promoting empathy and moral development. According to Tolstoy, true beauty in art has the power to convey complex human experiences and ethical truths, touching on the observer's capacity for compassion and leading to personal and societal improvement.
His view stands in contrast to the more formalist or aesthetic views of beauty that focus on intrinsic qualities of art objects themselves, such as harmony, balance, and proportion. Instead, Tolstoy's concept emphasizes the ethical and emotional impact of art, proposing that the beauty of a work lies in its ability to inspire a shared feeling and reflection on the emotional truth of the art among its audience. In this sense, for Tolstoy, the beauty of art is inseparable from its moral and emotional content, making his perspective a deeply humanistic and majestic interpretation of beauty.
Through beauty’s eyes, we come to see,
Beyond the form, a harmony.
In shared beauty, we can find,
The deepest bond of heart and mind.Art whispers softly, heart to heart,
Emotions flow in sacred act.
To answer beauty’s luring calls,
The souls unite, dissolving walls.Behold in awe what may reveal,
The art's emotion, truth's appeal.
In love, in laughter, and in plight,
Let beauty set your soul alight.
“What Is Art?” by Leo Tolstoy (1897)
Flower
The Frontier Man
December 2023
Veritas est aeterna