These are two apocryphal stories meant to inspire the reader. They are distinctly different as they are from totally different eras involving two diverse personalities.
Bartolome Esteban Murillo was a Spanish painter of the Baroque style. He lived and worked in the 17th century and attained great fame for his skill as a painter of repute. There were very few painters from Spain during that period who had the kind of success he enjoyed. It was the time of the renaissance and artists were vying with each other for commission from institutions or kings. Renaissance was a period in European history which marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. It was a period of great social change and gave rise to literature and art that flourished during the period between the 14th and 17th centuries. Murillo lived and worked during this period. Though he is best known for his religious works, he also painted many social themes. He came from a very humble background and lost both his parents when he was ten. He grew up with his oldest sister and her husband. He began his artistic career during the years he lived with his sister. With such a background, the fame he achieved was remarkable and would have turned the head of lesser men. This anecdote is to show the kind of compassionate human he remained in spite of his achievements.
Like all painters Murillo had a studio where he would work. The studio would be attached to his home which made it easier for him to paint when he pleased, without have to travel to work. At one stage he had hired a young boy named Sebastian to help him with the odd jobs in the studio. Sebastian was a quick learner and soon started helping his master in preparing his painting pallets as well as cleaning brushes and even mixing paints. The boy also took a keen interest in his master’s work and used to observe how the great man worked. It is not clear whether Sebastian lived in the same house as Murillo but it is obvious that he had free access to the studio and could come as go as he pleased.
After a period of time after Sebastian joined, Murillo began to suspect that someone was tampering with his paintings. He had an impression that after he stopped for the day and when resuming the next day he would find that the painting had progressed a little beyond what he had left the previous night. The interesting factor of this was that the painting was going in the direction that Murillo intended and the additions were very well done just as he himself would have envisaged. This went on for a few days and eventually Murillo decided to check if someone was indeed tampering with his work. So one night he quietly went into the studio only to find that Sebastian was carefully painting on his unfinished work. Murillo observed the absolute concentration and skill displayed by his assistant. Murillo confronted the boy and naturally the boy was terrified as he expected some very harsh punishment and possible loss of his job. But Murillo being the man he was, warmly embraced the boy and appreciated his work and even went to the extent of signing all his paintings as by “Murillo and Sebastian”. This is truly a extraordinary gesture at a time when such a great master would be loath to share his glory with anyone.
If one thinks about this small anecdote a little more than what the words actually say, one will realize that by doing what he did Murillo actually enhanced his statute as a truly special human being. Whatever maybe our skill and achievements one must be magnanimous enough to acknowledge the contributions of all who helped us along the way.
Emil Zatopek was a long distance running champion. His greatest achievement was winning three gold medals in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic when he won the 5000 meters, 10000 meters, and the marathon, all three in Olympic record times. A feat never repeated till date. Zatopek has to his credit many world records that he smashed during his illustrious career. He was a Czechoslovakian who lived during the time of the cold war. He is considered as one of the greatest runners of the 20th century. He was also known for his brutal training methods. He was the originator of interval training and hypoventilation training. An example of his gruelling training methods, legend has it, is to run 400 meters - a normal lap around a Olympic size race track - 100 times at speed. His stamina was things legends are made of. It is estimated that in 18 years of active running he must have covered over 50,000 miles, which is twice the distance around the world.
Such a man came from the most humble of backgrounds and worked in the Bata shoe factory in his home country before launching by accident into a career in racing. This anecdote is about his tremendous will power and determination to achieve against all odds.
During Zatopek’s early years in his career in running, he took part in a race at a European championship. It was an indoor track and for those who know athletics will know that those days such tracks are always full of thorns and uneven surfaces. It was a 5000 meter race, which means a little over ten laps. On the second lap his shoe came off. He ran barefoot on that indoor track absorbing all the thorns and imperfections of the surface. As the race progressed the crowd realising what was happening rose to cheer this unknown (at that time) runner. He eventually lost the race but he took away a heart that was pure gold.
Such determination in the face of adversity is difficult to imagine. But one who has that level of determination and commitment can never fail. Emil Zatopek died in the year 2000 at the age of 78 but his legend lives on and is an inspiration for generations of people who look for icons to emulate.
