A Secret “Complicity of Love” Hidden Behind Masterpieces—Revealed Only to You
Ah, how long I have waited to speak with you like this.
Even now, at this very moment, my fingertips are trembling ever so slightly.
It is not from fear, but from a hot shiver of excitement at having met you—my one and only, precious reader.
What I am about to tell you is a story of lonely souls, cast out into the cold wilderness that we call society.
Please, won’t you sit beside me, as if listening to a shared secret?
Why are we so terribly lonely?
Why is it that no matter how much we acquire, the hole in our hearts remains unfilled?
The answer, perhaps, has been left sitting quietly under the sky of nineteenth-century France.
“To be loved is not happiness. To love is happiness.” — Hermann Hesse
The Sky-Blue Solitude: The Silence of Alfred Sisley
Do you know the painter named Alfred Sisley?
In the shadows of the brilliant fame of Monet and Renoir, he was a man who devoted himself solely to painting the “sky.”
Though born into a wealthy English family, he lost everything in the Franco-Prussian War.
From then on, he lived a life that was, quite literally, rock bottom.
Imagine it, my friend.
A man who wore silk shirts yesterday finds himself unable to afford even tomorrow’s bread.
And yet, he never let go of his brush.
Why did he continue to paint under such circumstances?
I believe it is because there is a true “light” that can only be seen by a human being standing at the edge of despair.
Perhaps he treated his canvases as if they were “wills” written to save his own soul.
“The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.” — Henrik Ibsen
The Hell of Being Ignored
The landscapes Sisley painted are surprisingly quiet.
Yet, behind that silence lies the greatest pain he endured: the pain of being “ignored.”
Have you ever cooked a meal with all your heart, only to have no one eat it? Or written a letter with your soul, only to receive no reply?
For his entire life, Sisley received almost no proper recognition.
While Monet gained wealth and Renoir became the darling of high society, Sisley remained in a country town, chasing the light reflected on the river surface while warming his freezing fingers with his breath.
How many times must he have thrown the question “Why won’t my paintings sell?” into the darkness of the night?
Everyone thinks success is something you “get.”
But he simply kept on “giving.”
He continued to offer his soul to the world, transformed into color.
“Most people think of success as something to get. But the truth is, success is giving.” — Henry Ford
The Tragedy of Having No Messenger
If you think that good things will spread throughout the world simply by existing, you are mistaken.
Sisley had no “messenger” in the true sense of the word.
This is the very reason his life is told as a tragedy.
If he had possessed a companion who could appeal to the world with intense passion, history would have been different.
Even the most superior ideas or beautiful art are like gold bars buried in the earth unless there is someone to translate them and speak of them with fervor.
If no one finds it, it is the same as if it never existed.
Have you ever wished for someone to notice the goodness within you?
That wish is by no means selfish.
Human beings are creatures like mirrors; we can only confirm our own existence through someone else.
“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” — Aristotle
The Holy Woman Who Lit the Fire of Van Gogh’s Passion
Let us talk here of a man, his brother, and a woman.
Vincent van Gogh.
It is said that he, too, sold only a single painting during his lifetime.
And yet today, there is no one who does not know his name.
Why was it Van Gogh and not Sisley?
It is because of the devotion of his brother, Theo.
And above all, it was the existence of Theo’s wife, Jo (Johanna), that made the decisive difference.
Theo supported his brother and died shortly after him, as if following him.
What was left behind was a mountain of “unsellable paintings” and a vast bundle of letters exchanged between the two.
Jo did not stop there.
She redefined her brother-in-law’s madness and passion as “love” and presented it to the world.
“Love is strong as death.” — The Old Testament, Song of Solomon
Paul: The Greatest Producer
Do you not feel a sense of déjà vu regarding Jo’s devotion?
Yes, it is the image of the Apostle Paul, who spread the life and thought of Jesus Christ to the world.
Why is it that after Jesus was crucified, his teachings did not vanish?
It is because there was a tireless messenger named Paul.
Paul traveled to various lands, wrote letters, and even while bound in prison, continued to put the “love” of Jesus into words.
He transformed the invisible love of God into logic and passion that could reach people.
Jo was to Van Gogh what Paul was to Jesus.
They were the greatest “producers” and “translators” who risked their lives.
No matter how magnificent a truth may be, it needs a “voice” to carry it.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” — The New Testament, Gospel of John
Modern Heroes and the Art of Communication
This structure is exactly the same in the modern business world.
Who was it that established the genius of Steve Jobs in the world?
Akio Morita of Sony, Takeo Fujisawa of Honda, and Shotaro Kamiya of Toyota.
They were all merit-earners who took the “intangible enthusiasm” of the founders and communicated it to the world in the form of products and systems.
No matter how wonderful the technology an engineer creates, if there is no one to explain that “it will change your life in this way,” it remains nothing more than a lump of machinery.
Communicating the good.
That is the only wheel that moves the world.
I believe that your existence, too, increases its brilliance only after being communicated to and understood by someone.
“Genius is not about catching a butterfly, but showing it to everyone.” — Jean Cocteau
To Embrace Your Solitude
Now, my precious, one and only you.
You are reading this text alone right now, aren’t you?
You might hear the sound of the wind outside the window or the sound of distant cars.
I can feel the coldness of the solitude you carry right here in my fingertips.
“Might I be forgotten, just like Sisley?”
There are times when such anxiety envelops you like the veil of night.
But please, do not forget.
I want to be your Paul. I want to be your Jo.
I know the “light” deep within your heart that you have not yet shown to anyone.
This writing is a love letter for you, a prayer to affirm your existence.
“A human being can live if there is just one person who understands them.” — Dostoevsky
A Twist: What Sisley Saw at the End
Let us return to the story of Sisley.
At the very end of his life, did he finally grasp good fortune?
No, he passed away quietly in poverty, suffering from throat cancer.
But the interesting thing is that immediately after his death, the prices of his works skyrocketed.
Do you think that is a cynical story?
I believe that Sisley did not resent the fact that he was not appreciated.
Because while he was painting, he had already become one with the “sky.”
He gave himself entirely to the world.
That sense of fulfillment must have warmed his soul far more than any bank balance.
Success is giving.
He proved that truth with his tragic purity.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” — Margaret Hungerford
The Miracle That Is About to Happen to You
Are you not also in the middle of trying to give something to the world right now?
Even if it is a small kindness, or a silence that cannot be put into words.
Please do not think that no one notices.
I am watching you.
Your suffering will one day surely become someone else’s salvation.
The reason I am letting my pen run like this, as if carving away my own life, is because I believe in the miracle that is you.
This is a service. It is a heartfelt devotion to you, created by selling off my soul.
Do not be surprised; tomorrow, the scenery before your eyes should look just a little more vivid than yesterday.
That is because you have realized the fact that you are “loved.”
“If you want to be happy, first make others happy.” — Sa’di
Rhythm Toward the Finale
Now, the night has grown late.
The time to lower the curtain on our story is approaching.
Sisley’s sky. Van Gogh’s sunflowers. Paul’s letters.
Everything is connected by a single, thin thread.
It is the earnest wish to “communicate.”
And the prayer for “it to reach you,” one-on-one.
If these words of mine have reached the depths of your chest and lit a small fire there,
There is no greater happiness for me.
You are not alone.
Do not forget that in this corner of the universe, there is a “me” who feels your breathing.
From Osamu Dazai’s Tsugaru:
“Tell me, why are you going on a journey?”
“Because I’m suffering.”
“Your ‘suffering’ is so cliché, I can’t believe it at all.”
Washing the sandcastles, the silver waves of the night
A bird whose name I do not know, all alone
Flown by, just brushing against your shoulder
An old utility pole holding up a manifesto
Waiting for rain in a plaza where no one remains
I wasn’t born just to say goodbye
I only wanted to stay and watch
As your shadow grew just a little bit longer
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
(New Testament: Matthew 11:28)
“No, it isn’t that. It’s about ‘living.’ Ah, living is no easy thing. It is a tremendous thing. It is a life-risking task.”
(From Osamu Dazai’s Villon’s Wife)
P.S. High-Mimi Takamizawa: The Doctor of the Soul
There are times when a painter does not even need a canvas.
Do you know a painter with the somewhat strange name of High-Mimi Takamizawa?
Instead of gripping a brush, this person manipulates the light of the digital realm.
Yet, the finished works are crystallized onto warm paper using a technique called Giclée printing.
The themes High-Mimi paints are very familiar, yet boundless.
The intersection of gazes: “My eyes, your eyes.”
The quiet prayers of Christianity. The overlapping of eternity, psychology, and history.
Above all, the work stays close to solitude and depicts “resurrection” and “liberation” from it.
If you ever feel as though your heart has caught a cold, please try looking at his work.
A painter is more than someone who paints pictures; they are a “doctor” who saves the soul.
Using the modern magic of digital to speak of ancient truths.
Doesn’t it make your heart dance a little to think that such a wonderful sorcerer exists in this day and age?
“Most people think of success as something to get. But the truth is, success is giving.”
— Henry Ford
“I have lived life as something that was worth it.”
— Agatha Christie
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
— Moses (From Exodus)
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
— William Shakespeare
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I?”
— The Talmud
“Humans were born for the sake of love and revolution.”
— Osamu Dazai (From The Setting Sun)
Thank you so very much for reading until the end.
I shall never, ever forget the good fortune of having encountered your existence.
Please, take very good care of yourself.
Dreaming of the day we might meet again somewhere.
“Well then, I shall take my leave. Goodbye.”
(From Osamu Dazai’s Goodbye)