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    Madame X: Portrait of a Scandal
    Kurt Keefner
    • Apr 6
    • 12 min

    Madame X: Portrait of a Scandal

    John Singer Sargent's Madame X was not only a bold artistic statement but a pivotal point in the invention of the modern woman.
    6720
    Walking into John Singer Sargent
    Kurt Keefner
    • Jan 21
    • 8 min

    Walking into John Singer Sargent

    Sargent was one of the greatest painters of his time. I underestimated him. Now I am taking a fresh look at him - and my reactions to him.
    7030
    To Become Who You Are
    Kurt Keefner
    • Jan 10
    • 2 min

    To Become Who You Are

    This is an essay about being authentic, which is the alternative to living a falsified life. It is full of hope.
    440
    How a River Becomes a River Once Again
    Kurt Keefner
    • Dec 31, 2021
    • 3 min

    How a River Becomes a River Once Again

    “Before I sought enlightenment, the mountains were mountains and the rivers were rivers. While I sought enlightenment, the mountains were...
    370
    "For the Love of Wisdom"
    Kurt Keefner
    • Nov 20, 2021
    • 5 min

    "For the Love of Wisdom"

    I have decided to write another book, tentatively titled For the Love of Wisdom. It is going to be the sum of all my thinking about...
    1580
    Descending Mount Olympus
    Kurt Keefner
    • Aug 9, 2021
    • 7 min

    Descending Mount Olympus

    Following Ayn Rand too closely stranded me on a mountain peak. Here's how I came down.
    2570
    The Perfecting of Howard Roark
    Kurt Keefner
    • Jul 1, 2021
    • 16 min

    The Perfecting of Howard Roark

    Howard Roark is no statue. This is the story of his development as a human character.
    3620
    The Fate of Atlas
    Kurt Keefner
    • May 20, 2021
    • 7 min

    The Fate of Atlas

    I really enjoyed Greek mythology as a boy, but I was never much interested in Atlas. His brother Prometheus, who created humankind and...
    3620
    To Choose Wonder
    Kurt Keefner
    • Apr 12, 2021
    • 3 min

    To Choose Wonder

    Plato and Aristotle agreed that philosophy starts in wonder, but wonder is a much broader feeling than what they meant. There is...
    3460
    Self-Realization and Ecology
    Kurt Keefner
    • Feb 18, 2021
    • 11 min

    Self-Realization and Ecology

    How to become who you are naturally rather than by force.
    3660
    Freedom and Chess: Playing The Queen's Gambit
    Kurt Keefner
    • Dec 5, 2020
    • 9 min

    Freedom and Chess: Playing The Queen's Gambit

    Meet Beth Harmon. She is the Mozart of chess, but can she beat her demons?
    2010
    The Defects of His Virtues, The Virtues of His Defects
    Kurt Keefner
    • Oct 16, 2020
    • 6 min

    The Defects of His Virtues, The Virtues of His Defects

    The paradoxical characters of Oskar Schindler, Howard Roark and Shakespeare's Brutus
    700
    Angel with No Name
    Kurt Keefner
    • Oct 9, 2020
    • 4 min

    Angel with No Name

    The name of one of music history's most most difficult sets of sonatas is unknown, but its beauty is evident.
    1850
    Lessons of The Godfather
    Kurt Keefner
    • Sep 25, 2020
    • 9 min

    Lessons of The Godfather

    These gangsters give you a lesson you can't refuse.
    760
    Man and Nature in The Fountainhead
    Kurt Keefner
    • Sep 11, 2020
    • 11 min

    Man and Nature in The Fountainhead

    Architecture is the interface between man and nature. An opportunity for a theme!
    470
    North and South, An Industrial Synthesis
    Kurt Keefner
    • Jul 17, 2020
    • 7 min

    North and South, An Industrial Synthesis

    Strong-willed industrialist meets empathetic idealist in the 1800s. Can they bridge the gap?
    370
    Brave New Us
    Kurt Keefner
    • Jun 12, 2020
    • 11 min

    Brave New Us

    Despite the differences we are tending in the direction of Huxley's hedonistic dystopia.
    610
    The Bust of Caesar
    Kurt Keefner
    • May 15, 2020
    • 9 min

    The Bust of Caesar

    Some characters are perfectly realized without being merely allegorical.
    880
    Textures
    Kurt Keefner
    • May 1, 2020
    • 2 min

    Textures

    I am in love with texture. These five photos give the reader different experiences of it.
    440
    Announcing Killing Cool
    Kurt Keefner
    • Apr 10, 2020
    • 2 min

    Announcing Killing Cool

    Essays on authenticity. And vampires. And hugs. And musicians.
    130
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