What Is Art? · Chapter
Chapter XVI explained
Tolstoy establishes a definitive criterion for judging art: its infectiousness and accessibility.
What happens
Tolstoy establishes a definitive criterion for judging art: its infectiousness and accessibility. He argues that true Christian art must unite all people through feelings of love for God and neighbor, or through simple universal feelings. He condemns exclusive, complex works like Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Shakespeare, and Goethe as bad art, and calls for a rejection of art that divides rather than unites humanity.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the text abruptly shifts from abstract philosophical discussi…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Infection Theory of Art
Tolstoy reiterates that true art is judged by its infectiousness and ability to transmit feelings.
- Religious Perception as the Guide for Art
Christian religious perception is the ultimate criterion for distinguishing good art from bad.
- Art as a Means of Human Union
True Christian art unites all people through love and simple universal feelings, while exclusive art divides.
Characters to notice
- Leo Tolstoy
Author and primary voice, presenting the definitive criterion for judging art.
- Ludwig van Beethoven
His Ninth Symphony is cited as an example of bad, exclusive art that fails to unite people.
- William Shakespeare
His works are judged by the criterion and found wanting as exclusive art.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
His works are similarly judged as not meeting the standard of true Christian art.
- Raphael
His Transfiguration is mentioned as an example of art that fails the test.
- Friedrich Schiller
His poem attached to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is noted for its theme of unity, though the music contradicts it.
Key passages
“By this one sure criterion we shall have to judge the celebrated Divine Comedy and Jerusalem Delivered , and a great part of Shakespeare’s and Goethe’s works, and in painting every representation of miracles, including Raphael’s Transfiguration , etc.”
Tolstoy asserts that even the most celebrated works of literature and painting must be judged by the same standard of infectiousness and accessibility.
He challenges the authority of canonical masterpieces.
“Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is considered a great work of art. To verify its claim to be such, I must first ask myself whether this work transmits the highest religious feeling? I reply in the negative...”
Tolstoy denies that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony qualifies as good art because it fails to transmit religious feeling or unite all people.
This is a direct and controversial dismissal of a revered work.
“The ideal is no longer the greatness of Pharaoh or of a Roman emperor, not the beauty of a Greek nor the wealth of Phoenicia, but humility, purity, compassion, love.”
Christianity has completely reversed the values of art, replacing worldly greatness with spiritual virtues.
Tolstoy emphasizes the revolutionary nature of Christian art.
