Masterclass – New Magazine for Business and Art
“Masterclass. Business & Art” was founded by the Philologist and Social Communication Specialist Dagmara Nawratek in Torgau, a charming town in the picturesque Saxony, Germany, to create an international society of ambitious businesspeople, art lovers, as well as enthusiasts of culture and a refined lifestyle with passion. The project is co-financed by the European Union. This measure is co-financed by tax funds based on the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament.
A few words from the CEO of the “Masterclass Business & Art” magazine, founder and editor-in-chief Dagmara Nawratek
Dear Readers,
The “Masterclass Business & Art” magazine was created for artists and lovers of culture, art, business, personal development, as well as travel and a sophisticated lifestyle thanks to the support of the SAB, the Saxon State Parliament Foundation and the European Union, for which, at the very beginning, I would like to express my sincere thanks and deep expressions of gratitude.
The magazine would not have seen the light of day if it were not for the participation and involvement of my wonderful team, for whom thanks flow straight from my heart. I appreciate the great contribution and diligence of successful writer and publicist Dr. René Kanzler, responsible for the creation of our aesthetic website, reliable proofreading and conscientious translation into German, as well as the incredibly inspiring work of professional graphic designer Dave Scholze – talented creator of our gorgeous logo.
Our message is addressed to a select group of readers – connoisseurs, who are characterized by creativity, good taste and refined style. Enthusiasts looking for reading that is nourishing to the mind and imagination will eagerly reach for a unique product that will provide them with many absorbing articles, sophisticated and mesmerizing images, as well as a multitude of original and enchanting inspirations that unleash creativity and help them to live their life with finesse, according to the words of Oscar Wilde: “The secret of life lies in the search for beauty.”[1] We believe in the meaning of creating beauty, caring for the good name and prestige of a personal brand and, thus, constantly polishing our own talents – in the words of Paul Cézanne: “He who has no sense of perfection is content with quiet mediocrity.”[2] For this purpose, we publish a series of interesting columns and motivational, uplifting interviews with prominent authorities representing the elite of specialists in their respective fields.
To further motivate our dear readers to make positive changes, I created an idea and a multi-faceted project of a social campaign for mental health, which I decided to conduct under the slogan “Self Expression heals Depression”, because it shows the high values of art, which is not only a way to express individual personality, but also a medicine for the soul and an antidote to depression – the disease of our times. As Pablo Picasso said: “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”[3] Moreover, 10 % of the income from the sale of our magazine is donated to charity in order to promote the noble idea, which Horace was a proponent of: “Aut prodesse volunt aut delectare poeta, aut simul et iucunda et idonea dicere vitae.”[4] (“Poets aim either to benefit, or to amuse, or to utter words at once both pleasing and helpful to life”[5]). This brilliant thought also guides us, which is the reason why our mission is to inspire through art and support art education. This is what makes our magazine a perfect reading not only for adults, but also for young people. After all, we publish content shaping young minds that are just looking for their own path, craving knowledge related to recta ratio factibilium (the proper criterion of things a person creates). Furthermore, we help owners of small and medium-sized businesses to create the desired image of their personal brands and to ensure their recognition, credibility and reliability by showing the full range of their broad competences. Thanks to the events we organize, they have the opportunity to exchange business contacts in order to establish lucrative contracts in the near future. Whereas thanks to unintrusive and non-pushy advertising in the form of effective content marketing, interesting interviews and sponsored articles we support them in building the solid, smart image of a reputable experts in their own fields in order to reach a new group of customers. It is worth noting that creating a personal brand is important not only for business owners, but also for artists. Sincerity, self-awareness, knowing your full potential, individual approach, genuine values, proper storytelling, finding your own niche – these are tools that will help them to highlight their uniqueness and exceptional features, as well as to start an incredibly fascinating journey with us to discover a completely new nature of their addictive and absorbing passion, to reinvent its essence in order to build its own story, because what is most important to us is authenticity, sincerity and truthfulness. Therefore, these two aspects, “prodesse” and “delectare”, become our mission and message, which we will implement through many projects planned for the future, activating the society and stimulating the senses in order to enrich the needs of the soul and polish artistic craftsmanship.
Literary salons consciously followed the idea of determining the purposes of poetry that Horace included in his work “Ars poetica”, so we will also organize such an annual artistic salon on the occasion of the birthday of our magazine. The prototype of literary salons can be considered as a cultural discussion held in Ancient Greece and the Renaissance, during which participants, under the guidance of an inspiring host, enjoyed each other’s company and expanded their knowledge through conversation. Famous French literary salons were established during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, and regulars at such elite venues included intellectuals such as Balaise Pascal. Artists, writers and philosophers enjoyed social gatherings organized by inspiring hostesses, aristocrats, marquises, writers and poets. Therefore, on the occasion of the birthday of our magazine, we have decided to organize an elite meeting of distinguished artists, virtuosos of beauty and promoters of nobleness, lovers of culture and art, outstanding authorities in the relevant fields, as well as honorary patrons-sponsors supporting our magazine and the prestigious projects we organize. Our art salon, under the slogan “Elite Art Excellence” as the quintessence of our year-round publications and projects, will be the perfect response to the sophisticated needs of our special group of art lovers who believe in the message of Confucius: “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential …, these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence”[6]. The meeting of artistic excellence will be a great opportunity to present awards to our remarkable columnists, distinguished publicists, talented artists, charismatic personalities, outstanding partners and honorary patrons who saw the potential of our exquisite magazine and decided to support our fascinating projects, inspired by Horace’s poem Carmina II, 20.
„No vulgar wing, nor weakly plied.
Shall bear me through the liquid sky;
A two-form’d bard, no more to bide
Within the range of envy’s eye
‘Mid haunts of men. I, all ungraced
By gentle blood, I, whom you call
Your friend, Maecenas, shall not taste
Of death, nor chafe in Lethe’s thrall.
E’en now a rougher skin expands
Along my legs: above I change
To a white bird; and o’er my hands
And shoulders grows a plumage strange:
Fleeter than Icarus, see me float
O’er Bosporus, singing as I go,
And o’er Gaetulian sands remote,
And Hyperborean fields of snow […].”[7]
The poet pays tribute to Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, dedicating a literary work to him and expressing full gratitude for his support. The Roman politician, advisor and friend of Octavian Augustus was also a poet and patron of his contemporary artists, including Virgil, Horace and Propertius, whom he supported generously with his wealth, and that is why his name became synonymous with the protector of art and science. We believe that even today it is worth promoting the idea of patronage, held by Horace in his poetic testament, which has the character of a message to posterity. We, as artists of today, can feel like heirs to this will, which shows what a significant role protectors, custodians and sponsors play in the world of culture and art. It is thanks to them, the descendants of the “Tyrrhenian kings”, that subsequent issues of our magazine have the privilege of seeing the light of day, which is why we would like to honor them with the words of Horace contained in Carmina III, 29:
“Heir of Tyrrhenian kings, for you
A mellow cask, unbroach’d as yet,
Maecenas mine, and roses new,
[…] Are waiting here […].”[8]
We sincerely hope that the birthday of our magazine will become a perfect opportunity to taste fine wine and present our ennobled silver, gold, platinum and diamond sponsors, artists and publicists with engraved statuettes and flowers. And to ourselves, as reliable and dedicated editors of this intriguing magazine, we wish that the wings of creative inspiration on which our artists “float fleetingly” to the horizon of the imagination are as extraordinary and powerful as the wings of the poet – the swan described in Horace’s poem.
After all, it is the swan – the sacred attribute of the Etruscan goddess of love Turan, the bird from the chariot of Apollo, the god of art and poetry, the animal accompanying the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite, the ethereal and melancholic embodiment of the subtle and charming Odette from the fabulous and beloved by true music lovers ballet “Swan lake” by Pjotr Tschaikowski, and, finally, a charming symbol of muse, grace, beauty, nobility, purity, wisdom, love and perfection – that is the hero of the logo of our one-of-a-kind magazine whose layout is decorated in two powerful colors: gold (symbolizing splendor, dignity, prosperity, abundance, divine wisdom, trust, luxury, success, triumph) and violet (symbolizing creativity, nobility, spirituality, intuition, ambition, prestige, loyalty, luxury, elegance and wealth). Therefore, these are the values we will hold, creating a completely new international community of successful charismatic people from all over the world and shaping the minds and hearts of the next generation of business, culture and art lovers.
Text by Dagmara Nawratek
[1] Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
[2] Quote attributed to him.
[3] Quote attributed to him.
[4] Horace, Ars poetica XI, 3.
[5] Horaz, Ars poetica XI, 3, translated by H. Rushton Fairclough.
[6] Quote attributed to him.
[7] Horace, Carmina II, 20, translated by John Conington.
[8] Horace, Carmina III, 29, translated by John Conington.
Pictures by (top down) Andrea Piacquadio on pexels, René Kanzler and Karolina Grabowska on pexels
