What Art Can Show Us About Our Lives?

The links below richly illustrate how the philosophy of Aesthetic Realism founded by Eli Siegel, American poet, educator and critic, show that art has the answers to some of the biggest matters in our lives. As you will see, the great art of the world can teach us about our very selves!

John Singer Sargent
Sargent's "Madame X"; Or, Assertion and Retreat in Women by Lynette Abel

Jan Vermeer
Vermeer's "Young Woman With a Water Jug"--and What Men and Women Are Hoping For in Marriage by Julie and Robert Jensen

Diego Velazquez
What Will Make Us Truly Proud of Ourselves? A Study in the Art of Diego Velazquez by Dorothy Koppelman

Pablo Picasso

Picasso's Dora Maar Seated--or, Full Face and Profile: How Do They Show the Self? by Meryl Simon

Vincent Van Gogh