Bennett Cooperman & Meryl Nietsch-Cooperman
What We Learned from Aesthetic Realism
First presented in a public seminar at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, NYC
In the beautiful Victorian house where I lived while attending college in Montana, I often played and sang loudly miserable songs about disappointment in love, like those from Joni Mitchell’s popular album, “Blue.” Years later I learned—and this is new in civilization—that there was actually a hope in me to be a disappointed woman. Aesthetic […]
First presented in a public seminar at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, NYC
Aesthetic Realism explains the fight that can be in women between honestly appreciating the world, and wanting praise just for ourselves. In his book Definitions and Comment, Eli Siegel defines “appreciation” as “The enjoying of a thing by seeing it as it is.” And he explains: Pleasure from a thing is based either on knowing the […]
First presented in a public seminar at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, NYC
I’ve seen firsthand that kindness is possible in love and in sex. In fact, it is crucial if a woman is to have the proud emotions she hopes for. I once felt kindness in love wasn’t possible, and I went after something very different. For example, having dressed in a clinging outfit, I remember thinking, […]
First presented in a public seminar at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, NYC
Aesthetic Realism comprehends the different ways women can hurt their lives. Studying this education, I’ve seen that central in whether a woman will strengthen or weaken herself is: what kind of power is she after? In his book Self and World Eli Siegel writes: Power is not just the ability to affect or change others; it […]
First presented in a public seminar at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, NYC
At 17, I packed my trunk and guitar in Massapequa, Long Island and headed out west to college in Montana—determined to study art and music near the Rocky Mountains. I was excited about seeing the American west and learning new things about the world. But often I had another kind of determination—to have my way […]
