A masterpiece or a commonness – what’s the difference?
What makes a good painting different from a rare priceless one, a well-built house from an architectural masterpiece, an expensive piece of jewellery from a great work of art? A great many wonderful portraits, maybe even with a better art technique of performance, preceded and followed the Mona Lisa. Nevertheless, the moment you enter the separate room in the Louvre, where this painting is displayed, in no time you would feel the energy of the picture everywhere, though the picture itself is not actually so big. All these great, rare, unique masterpieces have one common distinctive feature – they are all imbued with the immense energy, the Divine Energy, the artist invested in his work. And we do catch on this energy anyway in spite of having grown into insensitive, emotionally devastated and energetically flat humans, which accounts for the blessings of civilization and our surroundings.
Once, during my first visit to London l was lucky to meet a marvellous guide who was in love with his hometown and skilfully managed to combine factual historical information with interesting facts of life. Among the sights we saw was the National Gallery with its fantastic collections of paintings by outstanding artists belonging to different epochs. While I was gazing at them I was struck by a strange feeling – it seemed as if I were looking at crude coloured woodcuts or banner copies. Meanwhile, we came downstairs to the ground floor, which represented the art of the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th centuries. Wow! It was then, on the stairs when I was swept away on a wave of bizarre energy coming out of nowhere. What was it? On entering the first hall you see that the paintings are not just nicely hanging on the walls – they seem to be telling amazing stories, whispering something softly in the ear, shouting or passionately debating. I think my face reflected all my overwhelming emotions for my guide exclaimed happily: “You feel it, don’t you? Do you really feel it? You do feel it! Oh my, how wonderful it is!” I cast a puzzled glance at him, a kind of silent question on my face. “Here, it is not like on the other floors” – he went on – “Not a single person has touched them, restored them, killed them. In England the method of restoration is as follows: the picture is almost totally re-covered, re-painted anew. Thus, it stops living, gets spiritless – the artist’s energy vanishes completely. Actually, it turns into a poster, an imitation. The pictures on this floor are recently painted, so they are luckier – they haven’t been tampered so far. It’s just the lack of energy that you experience gazing at a Velazquez and a Raphael in London, that’s why you feel disappointed, deluded, cheated. Thanks God, the methods of restoration in the Louvre or the Uffizi, that’s to say in France and Italy, are quite different. You therefore embrace the full magnificence of the painting with all your entire being – not only will you see the picture, but you would also capture its immense energy which gradually fills you up. The sensation is the same as when entering the room with the Mona Lisa. Even before seeing it, for it is hardly observable behind the crowds of visitors, you can easily spot the exact place of the portrait, even if you close your eyes, you would catch on the great energy coming from the portrait. That’s why there is emptiness inside when leaving the London museum, and there is great fullness when leaving the Louvre.
You might wonder why in the article about Dora Blank’s designs I write about masterpieces and their imitations, and speculate about having or lacking energy and its great power. What’s the connections? Simply because it’s just the same in dress-making. Clothes from assembly line are different from those designed specifically for you. Even the most expensive, highest quality ready to wear outfits lack the specific energy and the perfectly adjusted fit of custom – made clothing. When we speak about custom-made outfits we mean finest quality designs made from very superb materials. OxumoronCouture garments by Dora Blank are just like these. They do have and convey the energy of the craftsmen, their creators. Besides, they offer superb ergonomics and an elegant appearance. They advantageously shape your body and make the statement by reflecting your personality and emphasizing your individuality. First and foremost you can be sure in one thing: when you are taking an evening saunter you are not likely to bump into your identical twin, which often happens while wearing mass-produced factory stuff imitating Hermes, Chanel or Armani.
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