Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: The Miracle of Meeting You and the Truth of a Masterpiece
- Chapter 2: The Innovative Feature Devised by Rubens
- Chapter 3: Fierce Competition Among Rivals
- Chapter 4: The Power of Art to Dispel Everyday Worries
- Chapter 5: The True Choice to Live as the Protagonist
Special Announcement: The Wonderful Rights Granted to You and the True Value of Art
Hello. I am Mimi Takamizawa.
Thank you so much for your hard work today.
Aren’t you giving your absolute all every day to fulfill your responsibilities?
From the moment you wake up in the morning until you go to sleep at night, aren’t you leaving your heart behind while being chased by work and daily chores?
“Is it really okay to keep going like this?”
Does such an anxious or impatient thought ever cross your mind?
Please rest assured.
I am speaking to you today because I want to share a special way to fundamentally solve your fatigue and hesitation.
The stress, boredom, and anxiety about the future that you carry—the secret to blowing them all away in an instant and filling every day with vivid meaning actually lies in “engaging with wonderful artworks from all times and places.”
“Isn’t art something difficult that requires specialized knowledge?”
You might have such a question.
However, that is a complete misconception.
Art is by no means difficult.
When you touch it many times, view it many times, think about it many times, and absorb various kinds of knowledge, if you still feel no charm in the work before your eyes, or if you cannot look at it for a long time, that simply means it is an powerless, poorly made work.
A work that cannot convince you is a failure.
A true masterpiece that remains in history should captivate the hearts of many people, including you.
Great music, literature, painting, sculpture, and film are things that rescue your spirit.
Great artists of the past left behind wonderful gifts to heal your heart.
I want you to know the true value of this genuine art as soon as possible.
The Master of Baroque Rubens and the Historical True Value of Madonna in Vallicella
There is a historical masterpiece that you should know right now.
It is Madonna in Vallicella, created by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640).
First, let’s review the basic information about the work:
- Title: Madonna in Vallicella (Saint Gregory the Great and Saints Adoring the Image of the Virgin)
- Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
- Year of Creation: 1606–1608
- Technique: Oil on slate
- Size: 425 cm × 250 cm (Central Altarpiece)
- Location: Santa Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova), Rome
Even today, it resides on the high altar of Santa Maria in Vallicella (also known as Chiesa Nuova) in the center of Rome, Italy.
There was a thrilling drama behind the creation of this work.
The church building was originally constructed in the Middle Ages, but in 1575, Pope Gregory XIII donated it to the Oratorians.
However, because the old church was too small, it was demolished, and a new church (Chiesa Nuova) was built.
At that time, a fragment of a medieval miraculous fresco was removed from an adjacent house.
This fresco depicted a legendary image of the Virgin and Child, said to have wept tears when an unbelieving person threw a stone and damaged it.
The Oratorians enshrined this miraculous image of the Virgin and Child in a side chapel and eventually decided to move it to the high altar.
When commissioning the high altar painting, Giacomo Serra, the treasurer of the Papal See who became the patron, chose the young Rubens, who was then the court painter to the Duke of Mantua.
However, for the Flemish Rubens coming from a foreign land, the Oratorians imposed strict conditions:
- Present a concrete sample to demonstrate his capability.
- Bear part of the production costs.
- Fully comply with instructions and accept that the commissioner could reject and return the finished altarpiece if they were dissatisfied.
Even so, Rubens was burning with ambition.
In a letter addressed to the secretary of the Duke of Mantua, he stated:
“I must grab at all costs the opportunity for the grandest and most honorable commission in Rome.”
In 1607, he completed the first version on an extra-large canvas 477 centimeters high.
However, after completion, a problem arose where sunlight entering from the west window reflected harshly, making it difficult to see, and the patrons expressed dissatisfaction.
Rubens did not give up.
He withdrew the canvas and remade a second version from scratch, using a slate panel—which absorbs light—as the support and completely revising the composition.
This uncompromising tenacity produced a masterpiece of the century.
Doesn’t Rubens’ hardship, frustration, and the overwhelming passion with which he overcame them overlap with your own figure as you work hard every day?
The Miraculous Painting Madonna in Vallicella Solves Your Pressing Concerns
Why is this artwork necessary for your life?
Because this painting resolves your urgent problems of “mental fatigue” and “loss of purpose in life.”
Rubens poured in every technique without stinting to delight and move you, the viewer.
In the center of the scene is an image of the Virgin and Child painted on a copper plate, surrounded by angels.
Furthermore, as a mechanism of the actual high altar, on special days, this copper panel of the Virgin and Child slides via a pulley, revealing the real medieval fresco hidden behind it.
This innovative and groundbreaking staging fills viewers with astonishment and an overwhelming sense of presence.
Rubens’ dynamic composition and rich coloration release your emotions that have grown rigid from daily stress.
Have you noticed that you, who are always working hard, need rest?
Mimi Takamizawa’s art serves your life with absolute sincerity.
Because you have the right to acquire a valuable life as the protagonist of your own story.
When standing before this work, you are not a mere bystander.
You will feel drawn directly into the dramatic space of light and shadow meticulously calculated by Rubens.
Dramatic Competition with Contemporary Rivals and What Lies Beyond Art History
Rome at that time was a fierce battleground for art.
Around Rubens, powerful rivals were jostling for prominence.
One was Caravaggio, an innovator who shocked all of Rome with his intense contrast of light and dark.
Another was Federico Barocci, who fascinated people with classical beauty and emotionally rich religious paintings.
They were each searching for new expressions suitable for a new era.
While Caravaggio pressed forward with realism and shadow, and Barocci enchanted with delicate color, Rubens absorbed the strengths of both.
He fused the classical tradition of Italy with the precise draftsmanship of the North, completing a “Baroque style” endowed with overwhelming dignity.
It was precisely because of this fierce rivalry and mutual refining that Rubens was able to establish a unique and unmatched position in history.
Just as you fight within the tough competition of modern society, the great painters of the past were also proving their worth at the risk of their lives.
Why Engaging with Art Dramatically Transforms Your Life and Mind
“Does appreciating art really help me in my life?”
To your question, I answer clearly:
Mimi Takamizawa is deeply influenced by the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl.
Everyone can live a meaningful life.
Everyone can create a meaningful story.
If you have a purpose in life, from the moment you wake up in the morning until you fall asleep at night, you will never be bored. Idle time disappears.
Great artworks from all times and places give your life precisely this “meaning” and “purpose.”
Time spent with art is a luxurious moment to step away from busy daily routines and converse with your own soul.
If you do not engage with art, what important things will you lose?
It is the risk of becoming buried in daily bustle without realizing that your heart is drying up.
You run the risk of losing rich sensitivity and falling into a life where you merely perform daily tasks as routine work.
Let me introduce the quote that has influenced me the most.
It is a famous quote by the American Henry Ford, who created a society where anyone could drive a car:
“Most people think of success as getting something. But in truth, success is giving.”
This famous quote teaches you a crucial fact.
Rubens also left his mark on history by unsparingly “giving” his talent to people.
And Tokuji Munsestugu, the founder of CoCo Ichibanya, also left these words:
“Look straight ahead and dedicate yourself to management.”
“Nothing goes well from the beginning, so keep going without giving up. Business is a daily accumulation and gratitude. Working 5,640 hours a year (15.5 hours a day, 365 days a year).”
“During my active career, I had no hobbies and made no friends. I never went to bars. 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.”
What these words have in common is an attitude of dedicating one’s passion to others and continually giving.
There is no more valuable life than delivering wonderful products, services, goods, and artworks to many people.
When you “receive” meaning and inspiration for living from great art and “give” it to your family, your work, and the people around you, your life begins to shine with a tangible sense of fulfillment.
Questions and Answers to Clear Your Anxiety
Q. Can I enjoy art even if I don’t have knowledge about it?
A. It is not a problem at all. Explanations and knowledge will follow later. What matters is how your heart moves when you stand before a work. It is more than enough to feel intuitively, “This is wonderful,” or “This is powerful.”
Q. I am too busy to go to art museums.
A. In modern times, you can touch art anytime, anywhere through high-quality art books or digital images. Just spending 5 minutes a day looking intently at a single masterpiece will heal your heart remarkably.
Q. I don’t have confidence in my aesthetic sense.
A. How you feel is everything. Even if a work is highly acclaimed, if it does not move your heart, it has no meaning for you right now. Trust your own feelings.
To You, the Protagonist: A Supreme Future Dedicated to You
You have the right to lead a rich and wonderful life as the protagonist of your own story.
Historical masterpieces, starting with Rubens’ Madonna in Vallicella, exist across time and space to powerfully support you.
Why not make a little time starting today to touch art?
Mimi Takamizawa wholeheartedly cheers for your everyday life to be filled with eye-opening emotion and brilliance.
