레프 톨스토이와 니콜라이 게 (Lev Tolstoy and Nikolai Ge)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 성균관대학교 인문학연구원
· 수록지 정보 : 인문과학 / 70호 / 121 ~ 148페이지
· 저자명 : 오종우

초록

레프 톨스토이는 세상의 질서를 운용하는 진리를 찾기 위해 문학작품을 쓴 작가이자 사상가이다. 그의 작품의 예술성은 바로 치열한 진리 탐구로 생겨난 것이다. 그럼에도 톨스토이는 자신의 작품들이 진리를 직접표현하지 못한다며 항상 불만스러워했다. 그는 예술로 직접 진리를 표현하고 싶었던 것이다. 『안나 카레니나』에서 세상을 움직이는 불멸의 진리를 밝혔음에도 그는 독자들이 진리를 금방 알아챌 수 있도록 후기에는아예 예술을 부정하고 쉬운 민담 투의 단편이나 단순한 구도의 희곡, 심지어는 짧은 경구 들을 쓰기까지 했다. 톨스토이에게 예술로 하여금 진리작용을 일으키게 하는 점은 해결하기 어려운 난제였던 셈이다. 그런데 톨스토이의 영향을 받은 이동파 화가 니콜라이 게는 『안나 카레니나』의 한부분을 묘사한 그림 <진리가 무엇이오?>에서 관람자가 직접 진리를 체험할 수 있게 표현했다. 톨스토이가 평생 고민한 문제를 화가 니콜라이 게가 그의 영향을 받아 이룬 것이다.

영어초록

Leo Tolstoy in the history of world literature is a special phenomenon. He sought to uncover the truth through literature. Therefore we can understand him as a philosopher and teacher of truth, and not just as a famous writer.
Of course, L. Tolstoy is an outstanding author. His works have formed an original world, which has a rich artistic quality. The fine artistry of his works comes from his quest for truth. Nevertheless, L. Tolstoy was always dissatisfied with the fact that his works did not adequately express the truth directly and immediately.
How does art express truth directly and immediately? Is this possible? It’s not that the writer announces the truth through literature. Art as a propaganda of the truth is somewhat different.
Nikolai Ge, a peredvizhniki, also thought about the relationship between art and truth. At that time he met with L. Tolstoy and made sure that art is close to the truth. The picture he created, What is truth? expresses the truth directly and immediately. N. Ge corrected the question, which Tolstoy himself could not solve.
We know that N. Ge painted a picture of What is truth?, being influenced by L. Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina. Let’s look at the picture What is truth.
At first glance, it seems that Pilate is not very evil. Of course, he knows that Christ does not have any guilt. But he is a bureaucratic person. Pilate asks Christ about what is true. Christ remains silent, realizing that it is pointless to answer Pilate: there is a spiritual boundary between them.
Pilate will kill the innocent Christ in order to maintain his position. That is, he changes his truth in order to benefit instantly. But in the picture we see that the light separates Pilate from Christ. So, from the picture, we immediately understand that there is the truth.

참고자료

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