Elliott took out a bouquet of white roses from the trunk of the SUV parked on the side of the road behind him and placed it in front of the sculpture.
The secretary stood still for a moment.
"Miss?"
She always felt that on the eve of an important shareholders' meeting, placing a bouquet of white roses in front of the bronze sculpture of the old Count Irene was a bit depressing, as if at a funeral.
Elliot glanced at the girl's face from the corner of his eye.
In the end, she could only sigh slightly and handed the bouquet to Miss Elena.
Anna took the bouquet.
She bent down and placed the white roses on the stand at the feet of the sculpture.
"I'm not sure, what do you think-"
The girl Na tickled August's ears, letting his big pink tongue chase her fingertips wearing black silk gloves.
Elliot hesitated for a moment.
She wasn't quite sure whether the other person was asking herself a question at this time, or whether she was talking to herself with her hound.
"——Will the new management remove this bronze statue and destroy it?"
"How is that possible! This is a gift donated by citizens to the magazine. What power do they have to do such a thing!"
After hearing the second half of the sentence, the secretary immediately called out.
Because she was too shocked and angry, the young working girl's mind went blank for a while.
A look of extreme astonishment appeared on her face: "Even if Sir Brown has this plan, the city government and the residents of Glitz City will not be willing to agree to such a thing!"
"Really?"
Anna smiled self-deprecatingly: "I, the last daughter of the Elena family, don't have the confidence you have, Elliot."
"But... Mr. Earl's sculpture has been erected here for more than a century. It is the patron saint of artists in the hearts of people around the world."
Elliot pinched his fingers hard and said uneasily.
"The sculpture is part of the Painting magazine and part of the city of Gleze."
The secretary's tone became more and more firm: "It should become an eternal mark of Austrian culture like Princess Sissi's museum, Mozart's former residence, and the café in Vienna where Zweig wrote "The World of Yesterday."
"Without the old count's contribution to art, the "Oil Painting" magazine would not be as brilliant as it is today. Not only do they want to drive you away, miss, but they can't even tolerate a poor statue!"
Austria in the 19th century was still known as the cultural heart of Europe.
People always said then.
London is a quiet corner, and Paris is nothing more than the capital of a kingdom.
Only when a European comes to Austria and stands on the Heroes' Square built by Emperor Joseph outside the Hofburg Palace, looking at the towering monuments, bronze sculptures weighing several tons, and straight streets hundreds of meters wide.
Only when the magnificent palace in neoclassical style slowly unfolded in front of him.
Only then will he truly understand what a prosperous empire looks like.
At that time, more than one-third of the celebrities and masters in the Western world had lived and settled here.
Today, many of the former residences of musicians, cafes where literary masters gathered in small groups, and libraries where philosophers held debates have remained as permanent cultural relics.
Austrians use them to reminisce about the moment when they once had infinite glory on the world stage.
As a native of Gleze.
Eliot grew up looking at this bronze statue in front of the "Painting" magazine.
This has become part of her cultural understanding of this land.
How can it disappear?
Don’t say that Miss Elena finds it unacceptable.
Even her secretary couldn't accept it!
"Nothing lasts forever, dear Eliot. My great-great-grandfather was just a lover of art. If he hadn't been richer, he really wouldn't have been able to compare with masters like Zweig and Mozart."
Anna's face did not show how lonely she was.
"Since it is part of yesterday's world, when the magazine wants to turn over the whole story and take a big step towards the future in their eyes, removing this statue is a very symbolic thing."
"Even the finance department of the Austrian cabinet has approved the sale of shares of the National Publishing Group, and the city government will make the necessary concessions."
She just lightly tapped the base of the bronze sculpture with her knuckles: "That's why I want to stay here a little longer today. I may not be able to see it in the future. I don't know if they will allow me to move this sculpture back." I will go to my own home. Now I understand a little bit how I felt when I visited Mr. Otto (Note) with my aunt when I was a child and he showed me photos of the old palace."
(Note: Otto here refers to the long-lived historical figure Archduke Otto, Otto von Habsburg. He was the last crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. He did not die until 2011. He is a famous European restorationist. person.)
"The descendants are incompetent and feel ashamed of their ancestors. This is probably how they feel."
"But...it's not your fault."
Secretary Elliot pursed his lips in distress.
Those bankers are all jackals and leopards who are good at tearing other people's businesses into pieces.
How could Miss Elena, a young girl who is so cold, stubborn and unwilling to compromise, be able to fight against them?
"I'm not as sad as you think, just a little emotional. There is nothing to regret. When my ancestors founded this magazine, they never imagined that they would become a sculpture and be stuck here for a hundred years. Year."
"On the contrary, there were many people who thought he was a playboy."
Anna was talking to herself in a daze.
"You know, my great-great-grandfather was the first in his family to say at a public banquet, 'If I had the choice, I would rather be a painter than be a colonel in the emperor's cavalry regiment.' A weirdo. His father almost went crazy at that time, and even his friends and staff found it difficult to understand."
"Historically, in the winter of the same year when he said these words, the old earl's father, who was already in poor health, passed away. It is difficult to say that there is no direct connection between the two."
Anna said in a cold joke tone: "It sounds like he is a playboy who is not doing his job properly, right?"
Elliot sniffed in slight embarrassment.
She didn't know that Miss Elena would mention such a thing at such a time.
The female secretary can imagine it.
When the old count said such words, the atmosphere at the banquet must have been extremely cold.
The "weird" assessment is so accurate.
In that special era when the atmosphere of military aristocracy was so strong, every high-ranking aristocratic child would try their best to cultivate connections and send themselves to work as servants in the Habsburg court.
Say something like this,
Just like in the feudal era of Eastern Xia, the eldest son of a high-ranking official declared that he would rather go on stage to sing in an opera than serve as a royal guard in the palace to serve the emperor.
It is not unjust to have servants drag him down and beat him to death on the spot.
It is true that the social status of artists, musicians, and writers is much higher than that of low-level actors.
But when it comes to the big aristocratic families in the inner circle.
Just two career plans.
Either the German general Ludendorff took the traditional route of a military aristocrat, or the statesman Bismarck took the route of a high-ranking civil servant who joined the cabinet from the House of Lords.
Everything else is just a playboy's dandy behavior.
to be honest.
Whether it is the famous World War I general Ludendorff or the iron-blooded prime minister Bismarck.
They all came from a gradually declining minor aristocracy, and in terms of family background, they were even more prominent than the Elena family.
It is indeed possible that a son who likes to make such declarations that are completely out of line with the times will make his father angry to death.
Elliot tried to figure out Miss Elena's mood.
She hesitated.
Does Anna want to hear her agree that the old count is a playboy who makes her father angry, or does she want to hear her refutation?
It’s so confusing!
"The old Earl is just a bit forward-looking."
Elliot finally decided to choose the latter.
The secretary carefully considered her old impression of her employer's piety and yearning for art.
Throw Ms. Elena into that era.
Presumably, this young lady is also someone who will do the same weird things in everyone's eyes.
"That's true. Anyway, everyone lost miserably in World War I, and Austria's role in World War II was equally disgraceful. In the long run, the Elena family really needs to thank the old count for completely shifting the family's focus to the field of art. . This inadvertently allowed our ancestors to escape from the quagmire of war. That war was saved from the collapse of the intricate military aristocratic system."
"Not to mention, full of black humor, artists are now a more respected group than nobles or earls."
Anna said with a smile.
From the 19th century to the 20th century and then to the 21st century, the social status of artists has been rising. The aristocracy is constantly falling apart and in turmoil.
Art has been integrated into everyone's life, and the dregs of the past such as His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Marquis have long become dispensable.
Back in 1899 when the musician Strauss died.
The citizens of Austria buried their beloved artist with the same high courtesy as a monarch. More than 100,000 citizens attended his funeral.
And in modern times.
Even when Queen Elizabeth once invited an Italian painter she liked to have dinner with her at Buckingham Palace, the artist even had to put on airs.
After many invitations, with as much sincerity as three visits to the thatched cottage, the master painter Shi Shiran agreed to meet his "fan".
On the contrary, on the European continent, it is not uncommon for a young man with the unpopular title of baron or earl on his passport to ride a bicycle in the streets and alleys to deliver Miller pizza every day.
In the old days, the swallows in front of Wang Xietang flew into the homes of ordinary people.
Without the protection of ancestral wealth.
Nowadays, aristocrats are just fake high-class people, and great artists who spend thousands of dollars on paintings are the real celebrities.
The reason why Irina's family is still so respected by society is definitely due to the contribution of the "Oil Painting" magazine.
It is much more important than the dispensable title of earl and the middle name "Von" that was removed from Miss Anna Irina's surname by Austrian law.
"Just like the management of "Oil Painting" now feels that you are stubborn and unwilling to change, but the future will eventually prove that you are the right party. I feel that you and your ancestors have the same temperament."
The female secretary hoped to dispel the somewhat depressing and solemn atmosphere in the surrounding environment, and praised in a low voice.
"Thank you, Elliot, I'm so touched."
Miss Elena turned her head, glanced at the young girl in a professional skirt behind her, and nodded to her in thanks.
"However, what I just wanted to say was not to praise my great-great-great-grandfather for his brilliant decision. I wanted to say something else."
"Since today may be the day that I am evicted from this building... do you want to hear the story behind when my ancestors founded this magazine?"
Anna crossed her hands, raised her head and looked at the ancestor sculpture in front of her.
"When some biographers wrote this story, they used a tone of assurance to portray my ancestor as a shrewd politician-saying that he spent the last half century of the Habsburg dynasty like cooking oil. Here, read in advance the dark clouds hanging over Europe."
"When other traditional European aristocratic families still had optimistic expectations for the future, the old earl had already predicted that war would inevitably occur, and had withdrawn from the center of the whirlpool of political struggles very early, with far-reaching plans..."
Ana couldn't help showing a strange expression in the corners of her eyes.
"There is actually a discussion group for historical biography enthusiasts on Goodreads, which has dozens of pages dedicated to the topic [Old Count Irina's cunning political sense as a fox]. When I was in college, I left an anonymous message, saying that maybe he was I didn’t even think about so many things in my mind, and I was laughed at by the members of the discussion group.”
Miss Elena took a deep breath, and it was unclear whether the expression on her face was a bitter smile or some other more complex emotion.
"I guess when he founded Oil Painting magazine, he just wanted to make his father angry. It was just that simple, nothing more."
"This is my great-great-grandfather's revenge, revenge against his father, and revenge against the entire family." Anna shook her head.
"revenge?"
Elliot, the female secretary, was totally surprised by this answer.
She frowned in confusion.
"Come here, Eliot, please stand beside me and look at this statue."
Anna clapped her hands gently.
Elliot raised his hand again, glanced at the hands of his watch, and hesitated to speak.
"Don't worry, I know the time in my heart. Besides, in today's feast, my main course is not on the table. What will they eat? The gentlemen of the shareholders' meeting will not mind taking their precious time to wait for me for a few minutes. .”
Today, the last heiress of the Irina family nominally rules the oil painting magazine for the last day, under the bronze statue of her ancestor.
Miss Irina, who has always had a cold personality, seemed to be very active in talking about sex in a rare way.
She waved to her secretary carelessly.
Elliot thought for a while, but obediently walked to Anna's side from a few meters behind the wheelchair.
She is a native of Glitz City, and is very curious about the mysterious and glorious Elena family, which is a cultural symbol in the city.
After all, if it weren’t for today’s special occasion.
A secretary like her may never have the opportunity to hear the secrets in the shadow of such a legendary family.
It is absolutely false to say that I don’t want to hear the story.
"You can see the inscription on the page of the book that the sculpture is holding in its hand. You know what that sentence is without me having to say it."
Miss Elena stretched out her finger to show to her secretary.
Elliot looked up.
The main wave of sculptures in the 20th century was more inclined towards expressionism, but the master sculptor M. Kebulland preferred to create realistic sculptures with a sense of power and blockiness in sculpture figures, and his artistic style tended towards classicism.
This "Count Irina Smoking and Reading a Magazine" is a representative work of Kbreland's career.
The sculptor spent a lot of effort to express the figure and appearance of old Count Irene.
Even the tiniest folds at the corners of the clothes are perfectly shaped.
When Eliot stood in front of the two-meter-tall statue.
This important figure in the history of art looked down at the secretary as if he suddenly came to life.
She raised her head in awe and looked in the direction of Anna's finger.
In this bronze statue presented by the citizens of Glitz City, the old count finally took off the serious and boring uniform of a senior officer of the cavalry regiment that he had worn all his life.
Like an artist attending a banquet, he put on a tuxedo with a long hem and a brooch on his chest.
Mr. Irina holds the pipe between the crooked fingertips of her left arm, and holds a magazine in front of her right hand.
Tobacco and "Oil Painting" magazine, the two things that the old count devoted the most to in his life.
Even after turning into a statue, she still faithfully accompanies him.
The master sculptor's skills are extremely superb.
Eliot could even see the German text engraved on the pages behind the magazine "Oil Painting".
"A noble work of art cannot be told by critics, it can speak for itself. A noble soul cannot be restrained by the world, and it will find freedom on its own.
——Salute to Ms. K.! "
The secretary read it word by word.
In fact, even Eliot could not see the German letters carved on the copper pages.
She could also memorize every word in this sentence very clearly.
Starting with the first issue published one hundred and fifty years ago.
Regardless of the early German publications, or the later English, French and other different versions.
The same sentence is printed on the last page of every issue of Oil Painting magazine.
"Salute to Ms. K!"
This sentence has been printed in millions of copies and is known to every reader and collector in the world who has subscribed to Oil Painting magazine.
In the field of art, it is known to every household like a biblical story.
[A noble work of art cannot be told by critics, it speaks for itself. A noble soul cannot be bound by the world, and she will find freedom on her own. 】
This aphorism is likely to be the purpose of the magazine, and it is not difficult to understand.
There is only one mystery that has lasted for hundreds of years, suspended in the hearts of many collectors.
The question that has puzzled many people for a long time is - who does the "K" in the tribute to Ms. K represent?
"The original will of old Count Irina is still lying in the archives of my manor. The first thing above is to ask future generations, whoever inherits the "Oil Painting" magazine, to preserve this tradition. . Such a sentence should be printed on the last page of every issue, and it should be chanted thousands of times."
Anna thought of the original will with yellowed pages that she had seen.
"This is quite like a hide-and-seek game played by the official of the magazine and collectors and art lovers all over the world. Who is K? Some people speculate that it is the lover my great-great-grandfather met when he was young, and some say it is a teacher who taught him The teacher who inspired art. Some people say it is the first letter of the word "art" in German. To this day, the magazine still receives letters every week from various readers around the world speculating about K's true identity. Even the magazine The company also issued a special announcement for this purpose, explaining that they did not know the details of this matter."
"Well, don't you want to know who this Ms. K. is?"
Secretary Elliot's gray eyes were wide open and she nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.
Who exactly is Ms. K.?
In the field of art, this is like whether the $500 million "Salvator Mundi" was painted by Leonardo da Vinci himself.
This is a gossip that will always cause quarrels on the Internet.
Various self-media interpretations that seem to have a beginning and end but are actually based on rumors are all over the Internet, but most of them seem unreliable.
Elliot thought this would be an eternal mystery, until today Anna actually took the initiative to mention it to her.
"It's not an important secret. There were quite a few people who knew K.'s identity during the old count's time. It's just that it's by no means a glorious thing and no one wants to mention it. In fact, the mystery lies above the mystery."
Elena pointed to the nameplate under the sculpture.
"Her name is Carla, and she is the aunt my great-great-grandfather mentioned in the preface of Oil Painting magazine who took him to Melk Abbey. She was very bold and went to France to become a painter."
"That's it."
Elliot stuck out his tongue.
The old count's aunt.
This answer cannot be said to be good or bad. It is an unexpected and reasonable answer.
There is no romantic love between a rich man and Cinderella that Eliot imagined.
After losing the sense of mystery, she was even a little disappointed.
"Female painter? Uh... very admirable."
Eliot originally wanted to ask her if she had any famous works.
However, the secretary with high emotional intelligence took into account that there were only a few famous female artists in that era, and they were so rare that she wished that everyone had their own special biography + documentary.
Several others have been adapted into literary films.
Since she couldn't think of anyone named Carla among them, she couldn't get ahead with the resources of the Elena family.
I can only say that I probably, should, and indeed... my career was not very successful.
"Have you never heard of this name? She has almost no works left down. She didn't even paint for a few years before she was captured by the housekeeper and her servants and locked in the cellar of her home until she died."
“My great-great-grandfather’s father, the Count who once laughed happily when his guests praised him as a great patron of artists, just because his sister became a real artist, he and his father drove him to death with their own hands. Got the other party."
Anna spoke softly as if she was dreaming: "So the name behind the Irina family is not as noble and clean as everyone imagines, right?"
The computer is a bit stuck, so I coded this chapter very slowly.
(End of chapter)
