AUGUST 22nd - Don't Drink the Kool-Aid



On this day in 1911, somebody working at the Louvre discovered that the Mona Lisa was missing. The previous day, a Monday--meaning the museum was closed to the public, Vincenzo Peruggia, a maintenance worker, brazenly walked out of the Louvre with what would eventually become the most famous painting in the world. Vincenzo basically sat on the painting for two years until he was caught trying to “return” it to his homeland of Italy in a misguided demonstration of Italian patriotism. The theft itself is quite interesting, mostly because of the lack of planning and preparation that went into it, but equally intriguing is the part it played in making the Mona Lisa so famous. Many historians feel that the painting reached new heights because it was stolen. It kind of makes sense in that whole “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone" kind of way. Not that I would suggest staging a kidnapping to allow your significant other to realize how much he/she loves you, because that’s just crazy. That’s like some Lindsay Lohan mixed with a dose of Jim Jones stuff right there. Don’t drink the kool-aid. Not to mention that it could really backfire. What if your S.O. goes the opposite way? If he/she takes your disappearance as an extended hall pass and spends your “kidnapping” “experimenting?” You come back from your little disappearing act and Susie or Bob is having a key party in your house and there's some weird Eyes-Wide-Shut music playing. Not exactly golden. But if you could paint or create something noteworthy and then have a bold maintenance worker find the perfect opportunity to steal it 400 years later, allowing its popularity to outgain its critical acclaim, then you’d be all gold brother. So good luck with that. You still shouldn’t drink the kool-aid though.

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