What is art?

Treatise What is art? became the result of many years of thought of L. N. Tolstoy on aesthetics. The world -famous writer set himself a difficult task - to determine the criteria of genuine art, freed from the influence of cultural tradition, religious, social and other stereotypes. As a result, not only works of recent art, but also the past, it would seem, are generally recognized masterpieces, are subjected to revision. According to Tolstoy, the legacy of Raphael, Shakespeare, Pushkin, Beethoven requires the same strict critical understanding as the artistic searches of modernity (impressionists, decadent poets, innovative musicians).
The appearance of a treatise in print caused a violent public reaction. Tolstoy touched the deepest problems of creativity, relevant to this day, that is why the writer’s thoughts about the fate of art were not only a challenge to the artistic community, but also an attempt to self -determination in a changing world. In addition to the treatise, this publication also included other works by L. N. Tolstoy about the problems of art