Sophia Tolstoj -- 13 augustus 1897

• Sofja Andrejewna Tolstaja (1844-1919) was de echtgenote van de Russische schrijver Leo Tolstoj. Gedeeltes uit haar dagboeken zijn gepubliceerd in The diaries of Sofia Tolstoy.

13 August 1897
I have copied out a great deal of Lev Nikolaevich's manuscript "On Art" recently. I spoke to him about it yesterday, and asked him how he expected art to exist without all the specialist 'schools' he attacks. But one can never have a discussion with him; he always gets dreadfully irritable and shouts, and it all becomes so unpleasant that one loses sight of the subject under discussion, and merely wants him to stop talking as soon as possible. And that's what happened yesterday.
When our guests were here he read them this article and no one said a word. They were right to let him think they agreed with it all. And it does contain some admirable ideas, such as that art should inspire, not merely entertain; this is unquestionably true. And that drawing, music, and all the arts should be taught in the schools, so that every individual with talent may discover his own path; another splendid idea.