Art and Yourself

The philosophy Aesthetic Realism was founded in 1941, as its founder, Eli Siegel, showed for the first time the relation between the concerns of an individual self and the material of art: beginning with the art of poetry. It is he who stated, "The resolution of conflict in self is like the making one of opposites in art." The Terrain Gallery in NYC was founded with this idea at is basis. It thrives today, in its 50th year, and its current exhibition is described on the Gallery's website. On this site you'll see, as well, further explanation of what Aesthetic Realism explains about how art can tell us about who we are. Reading it can be a beginning point for learning so much more. How Aesthetic Realism sees art is taught in a number of classes in the visual arts given at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, including "The Art of Drawing," taught by printmaker Chaim Koppelman, "The Visual Arts and the Opposites"--a museum and gallery class taught by artist Marcia Rackow, and a class for people currently working in the visual arts: "The Critical Inquiry," taught by painter Dorothy Koppelman. Enjoy!

Aesthetic Realism and Anthropology

Here, I'm glad to point to a website I care for, by anthropologist and Aesthetic Realism consultant Arnold Perey: Aesthetic Realism: A New Perspective for Anthropology. His work breaks new ground, as he shows the place of aesthetics in the study of this social science. Dr. Perey is the author of two recent books. One, the novel Gwe, Young Man of New Guinea, is based on his own field work in that region of the world, and is a moving description of human emotion and experience--including the anthropologist's own. The other, a book for children, is a retelling of a traditional African story: Were They Equal? It's a pleasure to introduce readers to his rich, exciting website.

The Aesthetic Realism Explanation of Poetry

One of the things that I love most is poetry. This love began early in my life, as I heard and read the poems in Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses, and continues in my teaching of high school English. As I think of the beginning of each new school year, one of the things I look forward to most is being able to teach my students about poetry. The basis of my teaching this subject, and every subject, is the following principle, which is central in the Aesthetic Realism Teaching Method: "The world, art, and self explain each other: each is the aesthetic oneness of opposites." I've learned: poetry is not just a lovely thing, but presents what the poet and founder of Aesthetic Realism, Eli Siegel, explained in his essay "The Immediate Need for Poetry," is "a picture of reality at its truest, most useful": useful to us as we meet and think about the world, ourselves, and other people every day. In its music and its meaning, it is accurate about reality as WE NEED TO BE!

I list here several websites that I value very much. They're not only for English teachers, but for everyone to read and enjoy!
http://www.bartleby.com/
http://www.elisiegel.net/poetry/
http://www.oldpoetry.com/
http://www.poemhunter.com/