D. N. CERTELEV ABOUT L. N. TOLSTOY’S AESTHETIC THEORY (TO THE 190<sup>TH</sup> ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF THE GREAT RUSSIAN WRITER AND THINKER)
The article analyzes the problem of correlation between ethical and aesthetic ideals in a work of art. This problem is examined through the historical and philosophical comparison of the Russian thinker Leo Tolstoy’s aesthetic views with the position of his younger contemporary, the religious philosopher-idealist D. N. Certelev. The author comes to the conclusion that D. N. Certelev is contesting Leo Tolstoy’s attempt to base the theory of art on ethical grounds, emphasizing the transcendental nature of the creative act. At the same time, the paper asserts that, despite philosophical contradictions, Leo Tolstoy and D. N. Certelev maintain continuity in the formulation of ethical and aesthetic problems.