The Artwork Deal

 

If Carlo Petit had completed his formal education, then he would have never grown fond of his passion, which was art. Born in a middle- class French family, Carlo Petit’s father worked at the government office of France as an administrative clerk and his mother was a routine housewife. His parents wanted to give him a good education which they themselves had missed out on, but Carlo, which meant “Strong” in French, had other ideas running in his brain that were getting matured by the passing days.

The Petit family had hardly dreamt that Carlo would one day just stop going to his school and instead take refuge with a group of art lovers under a big tree near to his own school. The group known to the locals as the “Artisto” comprised of four boys, who would collect small paintings of art and other art materials and replicate them in their own amateur paintings. Initially though, Carlo found it really tough to match the other boys, but as the days passed by his artwork improved. At that point of time, the Petit family was run solely on Carlo’s father’s income. Though they were only three of them, both the parents were concerned about Carlo’s future and that of the family’s too.

France, at that point of time, which was just on the way towards the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of twentieth Century, had a social structure that could easily be divided into three sections. The Upper class, lower class and the middle- class. It could’ve been easily said that the Petit family had luck and time on their side. Carlo’s father had a decent job nearby to his house in Paris, and his mother took care of the housework without being required to go outside for work. Carlo on the other hand, had his days run by with most of his time spent along with the “Artisto” Group.

It was for quite some time in the art world, especially in Europe, that Women were idealized in artwork that had actually led to the growth of art, especially in France. History had shown evidence that the greatest of the painters had idealized women in their artwork to the enigmatic of effects. As years passed by and Carlo grew up to be a mature young boy of twenty, tall, with curly hair and fair complexion, this phenomenon of the painters idealizing women in their artwork made Carlo come across an enigmatic painting that would end up taking his love for painting to an all new level of obsession and also give him a new unforeseen direction to his life.

The year was 1908; France was growing towards urbanization and development keeping behind the history of the French Revolution. It was only during this time when Carlo along with his friends from the “Artisto” group   made a visit to an art museum known to the lovers of art as “The Louvre”.

Carlo’s only motive was to the view the enigmatic “Mona Lisa Painting” by the great Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci with his own eyes. It was since some years that Carlo had heard about the Mona Lisa painting and the mystery surrounding the art work.

Carlo may have been a school dropout, but his thinking and planning was equivalent to any educated young male in France at that point of time. It was his habit since his childhood of researching on things and topics which he was interested in. It was this habit which made him to make frequent trips to the local library to know more about the Mona Lisa painting and also about the museum where it was housed. What intrigued Carlo was not the fame but what he learned both about the painting and The Louvre.

The Louvre, to the world may be an art museum, but to France it is a sign of freedom of art and speech. Given the history through which France had been through, including the French Revolution, The Louvre, signified to the French its rich historical collection of art and artists, many of whom actually belong to other nations. France as a country had been through the rule of many a king, King Francis I was one among them, and was the one who had begun The Louvre Palace back then in 1546. Being a great art collector himself, Francis ensured that The Louvre served as his residence too.  After King Francis I, the palace moved into hands of subsequent Kings namely, Henry II and Charles IX.

Reading through the rich history of The Louvre, Carlo couldn’t help but wonder how every subsequent French monarch extended the Louvre and its grounds and made major additions not only to the geographical expanse, but also to the art holdings of the palace.  Post the French revolution, the French population in their quest for enlightenment, started putting requests for public display of the royal art collections. Understanding the entire history of Louvre added to the entire interest which Carlo had developed for the Mona Lisa painting. Though until then, Carlo was satisfied with his research but his quest for the mysterious Mona Lisa Painting had to wait for few more days.

It would be two more weeks later when Carlo would get his hands over books in which the entire history and conspiracy theories in relation to the Mona Lisa painting were found. Each evening Carlo read for exactly two hours and returned the next day. Night would be passed by introspecting what he had read in the evening. Carlo wasn’t surprised when he learned about the fact that King Francis I had once persuaded Leonardo Da Vinci to come to France along with his painting, The Mona Lisa.  Da Vinci had arrived and resided in France, but later on he died in France subsequent to which The Mona Lisa painting became the property of King Francis I and eventually that of France.

That evening when Carlo had just finished the book and started to wind up for the day, he observed a tall lanky male with a thick moustache sitting at the corner of the long table. Carlo thought for a while and suddenly recollected that he had seen the same person every day since he had started to come to the library. From the other side of the table, the tall lanky man looked towards Carlo and gave him a grin.  Antonio Romano had found his partner in crime.

If Antonio’s mother hadn’t come back to Italy after marriage, then Antonio would’ve grown and perhaps spent in his entire life in the African continent where his father worked. Irritated and disturbed by the civil disturbances, Antonio and his mother moved back to Italy and to peace, only until Antonio grew up and became a notorious thief who robbed not for money but for the excitement and challenge. It was very well known in the Italian circles that, if you want anything robbed, Antonio Romano would get it for you. It was through this image that Antonio found himself sitting around with the greatest of Italian underground groups and later on through one of such group, Antonio had struck a deal on an assignment for which he was currently in Paris.

For his assignment, Antonio was in search of a young art lover or an artist who would be the perfect partner in crime. It was through his acquaintances in Paris that he had learned about an art group by the name of “Artisto”. Weeks of chasing and shadow walking made him select Carlo Petit as his perfect partner. Of course, Carlo’s new found interest in The Louvre and The Mona Lisa Painting added to the entire scenario.

That evening as he again followed Carlo through the backyard lanes of Paris, Carlo finally got a hint of it. He tried to confuse the Italian through the small confusing by- lanes, but unaware of the fact that Antonio was as apt as he himself was, he finally gave up and confronted Antonio.

“Monsieur, look, I have been observing that you are following me. What’s it that you want?”

Antonio offered his trademark grin and asked Carlo to join him for a tea next day.

It was a restless night for Carlo. Unable to sleep due to the next day’s meeting, Carlo was worried for reasons unknown to him.

“How about stealing the Mona Lisa Painting?”

Carlo looked at Antonio in disbelief. He wasn’t sure how to react. Being a twenty- year- old didn’t surely help at that moment of time.

“I know it seems absurd. But believe me, if we get our hands on that piece, we both would be millionaires.”

“Why do you want to do it?” Carlo actually didn’t find anything better to ask.

Antonio removed two cigars from his suit pocket, handed one to Carlo and lit his own and puffed out the first inhale.

“It’s a long story and you wouldn’t understand.”

“I am all here, Antonio. Tell me.” Carlo appeared tensed though he sounded confident and fearless.

“Look man, there are secret Italian societies or groups which want the Mona Lisa in Italy as they believe that the painting belongs to Italy. The thing is that the entire history of its making and the subsequent departure from Italy to France has been a subject of debate in the Italian circles for long. There are theories but the fact cannot be ignored that Leonardo Da Vinci was from Vinci, Republic of Florence which is present day Italy. The subject of the painting is popularly believed to be the wife of a wealthy Florentine  silk merchant  by the name of Francesco del Giocondo, the wife’s name  Lisa  Del Giocondo. So, you would obviously relate the name Mona Lisa, the word “Mona” was used to address women in those days in Italy as “Mrs” in the current world.”

“So, you see, there are plenty of reasons why Mona Lisa should be in Italy, that too Da Vinci’s one”

Carlo seemed to have cooled down once Antonio had started to sing the facts.

“How much are you getting for this?” Carlo asked bluntly.

“Whatever I get, we will share”

Carlo thought for some time and calculated things in his young head.

“Why don’t we steal it and sell it to them rather than taking a fee for it” asked Carlo.

“Not a chance. They would expose us and we would be behind bars. Someone else would be sent to steal the painting again.”

“What really amuses me is that in all of Paris you only found me to be your partner in crime.”

“You wouldn’t be a suspect in case of any leak and you look quite an artist and also the added advantage which you acquired within the last few weeks about your knowledge on The Louvre.”

Carlo still wasn’t convinced on joining Antonio. He asked for few days to think on the matter to which Antonio agreed. They departed on the agreement that they would meet after a month at the same place.

Few days later, Carlo made a personal visit to The Louvre.  The Louvre, the ancient building that it was comprised of two former royal palaces, The Louvre and The Tuileries. These two were linked together to form a vast, three- sided building.  From the ground floor inquiry, Carlo was informed that The Mona Lisa was stored in a room which was also known as the square room. That very particular room also housed the painting of other artists.  But as Carlo had heard, The Mona Lisa stood apart even among so many of the greats. It was the first time for Carlo to view the Mona Lisa painting with his own eyes. An enigmatic feeling gripped him like never before, and it seemed as the subject in the painting looked straight into his eyes, hinting too many a secret unknown to the world outside.

As Carlo had read and also heard, one of the most cited reasons for the fame of the painting was the “Mona Lisa Smile”.  What also intrigued Carlo was the background in the painting, especially the landscapes.  Continuously looking at the painting, Carlo was repeatedly drawn back to the smile.  The mysterious smile, as Carlo had read about surely did offer its own version.  The world had various interpretations of the smile, for some it was a happy smile, for some it was a sad one and for many it was a kind of deceptive smile. Carlo wondered about the selling price of the painting, especially if it was stolen and preserved for few years or decades. It would fetch a fortune, he thought.

 For the next two weeks, Carlo returned each day to view and study the Mona Lisa painting and also to view other paintings at The Louvre. It mesmerized him to be among the finest of art collections in the world at that point of time.  He wondered what it would be to work at The Louvre and be a spectator to the collections every day. One of the days he had also met The Louvre’s head curator.

Carlo made up his mind. As was decided, Carlo met up with Antonio at the same place they had met earlier. Carlo gave his consent to Antonio on joining him in the plan to steal the Mona Lisa painting.

Over the next month, Carlo and Antonio made frequent trips to The Louvre to study the structure and security of the building. They would often take a horse cart to The Louvre. Dressed to perfection in a suit and crisply ironed shirts and trousers, and a round hat with a stick in hand, both took the trip to The Louvre with utmost of sophistication.

Antonio had made few inquiries and he himself had taken personal trips to the surroundings of The Louvre. Through one of the locals, he had come across a drain pipe that was located outside the boundary of The Louvre on the eastern side. The drain ran into The Louvre through an underground tunnel. It was an ancient tunnel which was constructed during the renaissance era to take the royal valuables outside the palace in the event of any danger. It was this drain that Antonio   had accidently come across which would eventually be the entry point for him. Though Carlo was sceptical about the entry point, he agreed to Antonio’s plan.

The plan was simple. On the planned night, they would enter The Louvre through the drain tunnel and get into the underground safe keeping area. From there on, they would walk through the north end stairs towards the upper floors and then ultimately into the square room. They would take the painting from the wall and walk back through the same route. As it would be night time, there would no security inside the building. All the security would be outside guarding for any intrusion. The only care which both decided upon was the occasional round up which the security personnel did at the end of each hour.

Twenty fifth December, 1908 was decided as the day when they would steal the painting. They still had a week to go by. In the meantime, Carlo gave a visit to his home. He ensured his parents that in few weeks he will surely safeguard his future. Carlo’s parents, though not sure about the same, still gave an affirmative smile to their only son.

By the time the D- Day arrived, Carlo and Antonio were both ready. Each one of them had visualized their own part. They arrived at the eastern side of The Louvre around eleven in the night. Antonio picked up the drain cover and slid in, and Carlo followed him. The water level was not more than half feet but stink surely was a problem. They couldn’t just practice this aspect of avoiding the stink. It took about thirty- five minutes to walk through the drain water into the underground zone of The Louvre. As planned, through the ancient spiral stairs that was made of cement, they walked up to the ground level above the drain water block. Their feet were totally wet. They waited for some time to ensure that no one heard them. Slowly, they walked towards the north side stairs. On reaching the same, Carlo first walked up and moved ahead followed by Antonio. Darkness confused both of them as they were unable to find the square room where the Mona Lisa painting hung. Unable to locate the room, they halted and looked around. Both realized that they had taken the wrong stairs. They retreated back hurriedly and walked back in silence. On finding the correct stairs, they climbed up and took the correct turn to reach the square room. Antonio removed a bigger candle from his small bag which he carried. He lit it and searched for the painting.

To his amusement, as he positioned the candle light towards the location where the Mona Lisa painting was hung, he only found a bare wall with hooks on the four corners.

For a second, Antonio got the shock of his life. He looked back but couldn’t find Carlo. Suddenly all the lights lit up and three policemen surrounded Antonio from three corners.

“Welcome Mr. Antonio Romano. We were expecting you.” said the Curator.

The police arrested Antonio. He looked around. It seemed Carlo had run away or was hiding somewhere.

Antonio was handcuffed and taken away. The curator thanked the policemen and walked back into his office. As he entered, he saw a young twenty- year- old teen looking at a painting that was smiling back at him, only if one had the eyes to see the smile.

“Ah, Carlo, my boy. Thank you very much dear. I don’t know what would we do if you hadn’t informed us about this plan of stealing the Mona Lisa.”

Carlo looked at the Curator. “I hope you remember your promise,”

“Sure, my boy, The Louvre is very proud to have its new art member as an assistant at the administration office.”

Carlo surely had made the correct promise to his parents of safeguarding his future. A job at The Louvre.

Carlo Petit was eager to start a new life among the walls of The Louvre, amongst the greatest of the masterpieces.

Note:

This story is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, places, events, incidents, organizations, or locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality.

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