Hello. I’m Mimi Takamizawa.
Today, I’d like to talk about something very important with you, someone who spends every day working so hard.
I am genuinely happy to face you and have this conversation like this.
Tell me, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard lately?
Chasing after work, human relationships, and daily chores, haven’t you left your own heart behind?
To someone like you, there is a story I want you to know.
It is the fact that a single painting is deeply connected to your very life.
If you have any anxieties or questions, please ask me anything.
I will talk with you, stay close to your heart, and answer you in all sincerity.
Notice: The Masterpiece The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew Will Revolutionize Your Life
Are you satisfied with your life right now?
Don’t you ever feel that “every day is just a repetition of the same thing, and it’s boring”?
From the moment you wake up in the morning until you sleep at night, you lose sight of what you are running for.
Hasn’t that happened to you, too?
If so, there is a work of art I want you to encounter as soon as possible.
It is the supreme masterpiece The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, painted by Caravaggio, the master of Italian Baroque painting.
“What does a painting have to do with my life?”
You might think that way.
But please rest assured.
Familiarizing yourself with wonderful art will dramatically improve the quality of your life.
This painting is not just an old historical picture.
It is a special gift designed to save your spirit and heal your exhausted heart from its very core.
The True Value of Your Life Revealed by The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew
First, let me share the basic details of this work with you.
Please try to picture the full scope of the painting.
- Title: The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew
- Artist: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
- Year of Creation: Around 1599–1600
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Size: 323 cm × 343 cm (A huge canvas you have to look up at)
- Location: Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, Italy
This work is located inside a famous church in Rome.
Opposite it hangs The Calling of Saint Matthew, another piece from the same series.
The figures painted on the vast canvas are almost life-sized.
The moment you step into the chapel, you receive a shock as if you were witnessing a crime scene in the dark firsthand.
A single shaft of strong light suddenly pierces through the darkness.
In that light, the figures of the falling Saint Matthew and the assassin attacking him are vividly carved out.
The intense contrast between light and shadow.
This technique is called “Tenebrism.”
Descriptions of the background are almost entirely stripped away.
The overwhelming composition of space is created solely through the arrangement of the characters’ confusion, fear, and conflict.
Why did Caravaggio attempt such a powerful method of expression?
It was to instantly capture and shake the heart of the viewer—you.
The light inside the painting connects directly to your real world outside the canvas.
The shock you witness before your eyes stirs your emotions.
Do you realize that you, who are always working hard, need rest?
The art of Mimi Takamizawa serves your life with total sincerity.
Because you have the right to claim a “valuable” life as the “protagonist” of your own story.
To you, who are pursued by dull days, this work gives a powerful vitality.
It restores the solid realization within you that “I am alive right now.”
Sincerely Answering Your Doubts and Questions
Here, let’s think together about the questions you might be feeling.
“I understand that art historical masterpieces are good things, but is it true that just looking at art will solve my problems?”
You might want to ask that back, right?
That simple question is very natural and correct.
Let me answer you.
Familiarizing yourself with art strongly supports your practical problems.
Every day, we carry the stress of human relationships and anxiety about the future.
There are nights when you worry, “Do I really have value?”
The psychiatrist Viktor Frankl once said this:
A human being can find “meaning” in their life even under the most severe circumstances.
Anyone can live a life filled with “meaning.”
You can create a meaningful story that belongs to you alone.
If you hold a purpose in life, you won’t be bored from the moment you wake up in the morning until you sleep at night.
Idle time and meaningless anxiety will vanish.
Caravaggio’s painting shows you the overwhelming drama of living.
The figure of Saint Matthew holding fast to his convictions even when facing the terror of death.
The intense drama of light and shadow.
By looking at these again and again, and thinking about them repeatedly, an unshakable core is born inside your heart.
You gain a strong axis of “how to live the story of your own life.”
“But if I have time to look at paintings, wouldn’t it be more useful to work or do housework?”
Some of you might think that way.
However, remember here the words of Henry Ford, the great American industrialist.
“Most people think that success is something you get. But in truth, success is giving.”
These words offer a wonderful hint for your daily life.
If you only think about working busily to “get” money or recognition, your heart will gradually wear down.
On the other hand, when you become conscious of “giving” kindness to others and being helpful to someone, your life changes completely.
Art is the same.
Great artists of the past wore out their lives to create works and gave them unsparingly to the future “you.”
By receiving the passion they left behind, your heart is recharged with peace of mind and energy.
Filled with energy, you will be able to give kindness to the people around you and your family.
As a result, your human relationships will go smoothly, and both your work and life will improve dramatically.
“What if I go to an art museum and don’t feel moved at all?”
Please rest assured.
Suppose you touch a work many times, absorb knowledge, and yet still feel no attraction toward it.
Or suppose there is a work you cannot stare at for a long time.
In that case, you can state it clearly:
To you, that is a weak, poorly made piece of work.
A work that cannot convince you is a failure to you, no matter how famous it may be.
A true masterpiece that remains in history will captivate the hearts of many people, including you.
Caravaggio’s The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew is a work that possesses exactly that power.
The moment you stand before it, you will catch your breath and be unable to look away.
That is precisely why this work continues to be loved by people around the world across more than 400 years.
The Artist Caravaggio’s Turbulent Life and His Power to Save You
What kind of person was Caravaggio, who painted this piece?
By knowing his life, you will be able to resonate even more deeply with this work.
Late 16th to early 17th century Italy, where Caravaggio lived, was an era of turbulence.
The Catholic Church was seeking overwhelming art that strongly appealed to people’s hearts in order to rebuild its influence.
Appearing in such an era, Caravaggio was a maverick and a genius.
He thoroughly shattered the traditions of painting up to that point.
Instead of idealized, pretty saints, he used poor people and dirty-footed vagrants from the streets as models to depict scenes from the Bible.
Furthermore, his personality was extremely fierce, short-tempered, and violent.
He brandished swords, engaged in repeated tavern brawls, and ultimately committed murder, living a life on the run.
It was a life of frustration, hardship, and constant dread of death.
However, that is precisely why he knew.
He knew human weakness, foolishness, and the true terror when confronting death.
Look closely at The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew.
In the background center, to the left of the assassin, there is a bearded man looking at us with a sad face.
In fact, this is the painter’s self-portrait.
He painted himself as a suspect or a witness into the terrible scene where Saint Matthew is murdered.
He laid bare his own sinful nature and suffering in the work without hiding a thing.
Haven’t you ever made mistakes, felt down, or regretted hurting someone in your life?
Haven’t you ever experienced frustration and wanted to throw it all away, thinking “I’m done for”?
Caravaggio understands that pain of yours better than anyone else.
No one is perfect. Everyone lives holding both light and shadow.
Through his own harsh experiences, he speaks to you:
“You don’t have to be perfect. Even if it’s unpolished, live your own life with all your might.”
Compare this with his rivals of the time—for instance, Annibale Carracci and others who painted refined, academic classicism.
Carracci’s paintings are wonderful, too, but sometimes they can be too perfect and neat.
Caravaggio’s raw, intense style directly vibrates with your wounded heart.
His raw humanity becomes a powerful medicine that heals your solitude.
The Teachings of CoCo Ichibanya’s Founder and Your Law of Success
Here is another wonderful set of words I want you to know.
They are the words of Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya.
Mr. Munetsugu spoke like this:
“Do not look sideways; dedicate yourself to management.”
“Nothing goes well from the beginning, so keep doing it without giving up. Business is a daily accumulation and gratitude. Work 5,640 hours a year (15.5 hours a day, 365 days a year).”
“During my active years, I had no hobbies and made no friends. I never went to bars either. I did nothing that would get in the way of work. There were times I worked 5,640 hours a year. I felt that if I didn’t lead by example, my subordinates wouldn’t work for me.”
I was greatly influenced by this heroic level of concentration and devotion.
How do you feel hearing these words?
You might be surprised, thinking “Working that much is impossible.”
However, what is important here is not the “number of hours” itself.
What matters is how much “pride” and “sincere attitude” you can hold toward your work and life.
Mr. Munesugu dedicated his life to delivering delicious curry to customers and making them happy.
Caravaggio also faced the canvas before him and held his brush, exhausting his life to move the audience.
Delivering wonderful products, services, goods, and works of art to many people.
There is no life more valuable than that.
A life that is not useful to others cannot gain a real sense of fulfillment.
Instead of taking something from others, standing on the side where “you give value” to someone.
That is the sole secret that makes your life shine brightest.
The work and chores you do every day are the same.
Your figure working hard for someone else is already as beautiful as art.
By touching Caravaggio’s passion, you should feel your attitude toward your daily tasks changing.
This painting teaches you the dignity of accumulating efforts without giving up with overwhelming force.
Concrete Benefits for Those Who Familiarize Themselves with Art and a Future You Can Monopolize
“What specific benefits do I get if I enjoy art?”
You want to know clear advantages, don’t you?
Gladly, let me inform you of the wonderful benefits you can gain.
First, you will acquire “refined intuition and insight.”
In genuine works of art, all human emotions are condensed.
Familiarizing yourself daily with deep works like The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew cultivates an eye that instantaneously discerns changes in people’s feelings and the essence of things.
This becomes an immeasurable weapon in your business environment and in communication with your loved ones.
Second, you will always gain “release from stress and deep healing.”
Time spent gazing at a first-rate painting is the most luxurious time to quietly converse with yourself.
The feeling of stepping away from daily hustle and having your heart smoothly cleansed.
When your heart is tired, just looking at an image of a masterpiece refreshes your brain and surges energy for tomorrow.
Third, you will acquire “unshakable confidence and culture.”
By knowing genuine masterpieces that have changed the standards of world history and culture, your values will expand greatly.
Even in conversations with refined people around the world, including America and Japan, you will be able to conduct yourself gracefully with rich culture.
Conversely, what happens if you choose a life without art?
What you lose is far too great.
There is a danger that you will be consumed by daily busyness, leaving your emotions dry and brittle.
You might alternate between joy and sorrow over immediate events, losing sight of the deep “meaning” and “purpose” of life.
Refusing art, which is nourishment for the heart, is the same as robbing yourself of life’s colors.
I don’t want you to live such a wasteful life.
Bringing Genuine Emotion Close to Your Daily Life
“But I can’t go all the way to a church in Italy.”
You might think so.
Please rest assured. We in the modern age are very blessed.
Using the internet or high-definition art books, you can stand before this masterpiece anytime, anywhere.
What matters is not the place.
It is for you to create time to “face the work and converse with your own heart.”
While drinking your morning coffee, try opening the image of The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew for just 3 minutes.
The light shining out of the darkness, the powerful expressions of the people, the eyes of Saint Matthew looking at the light even as he falls.
Just staring at them stimulates your brain, entering a state of pleasant concentration.
You can build a bit of “luxurious time” into your daily life as if it were custom-made for you.
Great artists of the past anticipated the problems of frustration, hesitation, and solitude you would encounter in life, leaving wisdom within their works to help you overcome them.
The gifts they left behind prevent you from falling into life’s traps in advance and teach you shortcuts.
Art is by no means difficult.
You don’t need expert knowledge.
Just staring at a work and feeling “That’s amazing,” “That’s cool,” or “My heart feels stirred” is more than enough.
Because that very feeling is proof that your heart is recovering and evolving.
Now, Let’s Step Onto the Stage of a New Story
How was it talking with me this far?
Have the doubts and anxieties inside your heart faded away little by little?
Lastly, let me ask you once more.
What kind of story do you want to make your life from now on?
Will you live as a side character swayed by the opinions of others?
Or will you live as the “protagonist” who grasps the light with your own will?
The answer must already be decided within you.
The light Caravaggio painted is illuminating your heart right now as you read this text.
You hold the power to make your own story wonderful.
Starting today, just a little is fine.
Try turning your eyes toward the wonderful art of all times and places.
Gaze at paintings, listen to music, and turn the pages of literature.
All of those masterpieces exist to heal your heart and stay by your side.
By familiarizing yourself with art, your daily life will become surprisingly vivid and change powerfully.
There is no need to give up. Your future will shine brighter.
I am always cheering for your wonderful life.
Please come see me again anytime.
With all my heart, from Mimi Takamizawa.