Full Idea
Objects are often beautiful which express nothing at all, as, for instance, the rainbow, which is beautiful for its lines and colours and not for its mythological connexion with Iris, or Noah's rainbow.
Gist of Idea
Objects can be beautiful which express nothing at all, such as the rainbow
Source
report of Johann Herbart (works [1830]) by Leo Tolstoy - What is Art? Ch.3
Book Reference
Tolstoy,Leo: 'What is Art? and Essays on Art', ed/tr. Maude,A [OUP 1975], p.102
A Reaction
A nice counterexample to Tolstoy's own theory. The example is one of a natural beauty, but it would be harder to find examples in human art. How much the artist may feel, though, has little to do with the success of a work of art.