In Tolstoy’s essay “What is Art?” he defines art as one of the conditions of human life (170). By “condition” he means a necessary attribute of what it means to be a human being. Having a brain, having lungs, having the ability to speak are conditions of what it means to be human. Tolstoy’s argument is that art is just as much a necessary condition as any other condition. Art is necessary in order to be human. Tolstoy rejects the notion of “art for art’s sake” or that art is simply “a means to pleasure” (170). Continue reading...