Notable Quote: Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy had some very particular views on art.  I'm not sure he held these all his life, but it does seem everything I've read by Tolstoy had these elements.  So if his aesthetic theory came to him at mid life or later, he certainly intuitively applied it throughout most of his works.  What is his theory?  First it should have simplicity.  Don't overly complicate it.   Second it should get to the core of humanity, especially of a specific central character.  Third, art must embrace humanity, so that the art binds people together.  Fourth, it must have a moral, a lesson that teaches something noble.  Fifth, it must reflect God in some way.  Those are the elements that I can remember.  There may be more.  So with that context, here is a pithy quote that condenses it down to a statement, coming from his book on the subject, "What is Art?" 

 

"Art lifts man from his personal life into the universal life."

by Leo Tolstoy

 

 



Notable Quote: William Faulkner

Here's a new feature to the blog, an interesting quote.  I'm going to start with one of my favorite authors.

The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.
William Faulkner

Whenever you hear some college professor or literature student talk about the meanings, historical context, and social impact of a work, remember that is all secondary, or even terciary.  First and foremost a work must come alive; it must make you see the setting, the characters, the actions, the motivations, and through seeing it make you believe it is reality.

Image courtesy of Famous Authors.