Oddities in the life of the artist Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin and one French woman for life

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin - an artist of amazing fate, full of incredible twists and turns and zigzags, is considered the most iconic figure in the history of Russian painting at the beginning of the last century. And who would have thought that, born into a poor family of a shoemaker in a provincial town, with his extraordinary talent and indefatigable diligence, he would reach such heights that others never dreamed of. And besides, he will experience incredible love for the Frenchwoman, who became for him a guiding star and a tuning fork, to which he listened carefully all his life.

Learning deeper biographical information about the life of this talented artist, more and more imbued with sympathy for him. The artist was quite an interesting and multifaceted personality, and his notorious adventurism, determination and gift of prophecy became legendary during his lifetime.

It so happened that by the age of 27, the vulnerable and romantic Kuzma, passionately thirsting for love, was completely alone. He himself explained this by the strangeness of his character: very quickly and strongly attached to people, but just as unexpectedly and soon to leave them.

Longed for Paris and disappointment

The artist's whole life was radically changed by a trip to France, where he arrived in the spring of 1906 after graduating from an art school. Finally, the cherished dream of a novice painter has come true. He strove with all his soul to the origins in order to comprehend the centuries-old experience of Western painting and find his own style. However, life in the French capital soon bored the irrepressible Kuzma-Sergeevich: Such a spiritual mood began to push the artist to the idea of returning home early. So it could be and would have happened if not for one "but".

Happy change in life

In the summer of the same year, the painter decided to leave the noisy capital and settled in an inexpensive guesthouse near Paris. The area was amazing, and the house itself was covered with flowering rose bushes that grew everywhere. The hostess of the boarding house, Josephine Yovanovitch, settled the young man from Russia in a cozy, bright room with windows overlooking a wonderful garden. And he literally thawed both soul and heart, receiving extraordinary pleasure from the warm home atmosphere, the benevolent attitude of the owners and inhabitants of the boarding house. But the acquaintance with one of the mistress's daughters, Mara, especially warmed the artist's soul. It was this girl who dreamed of becoming a professional singer who radically changed the future life of the Russian artist.

Kuzma was seriously carried away by her, and once, with the gift of a prophet characteristic of him, declared: Shocked by such a statement, the Frenchwoman could only ask if Monsieur thought well? It turned out that monsieur hadn't thought at all … He was simply struck by an insight. Kuzma immediately persuaded her to pose for a portrait, and during one of the sessions made the girl an offer to become his wife. And already at the end of autumn 1906, young people, having signed at the local mayor's office, celebrated a civil wedding in a narrow circle of relatives and friends and moved to live in Paris.

I found a woman on Earth …

- this is how Kuzma Sergeevich Mare wrote from North Africa, where he went on a trip a year after the wedding. Yes, to be sure, Kuzma could not only masterfully wield a brush and paints, but also express himself very eloquently with a pen.

Wedding in Russia

In 1910, the Petrov-Vodkin couple moved to the artist's homeland, to Khvalynsk, where, according to Orthodox laws, they wanted to get married. But, since Mara was a Catholic, and Kuzma was Orthodox, the priest refused the young people to perform the wedding ceremony. But Kuzma Sergeevich was not stopped by the priest's refusal, he nevertheless persuaded the priest to marry him with his beloved woman, promising to create a large painting in the church. As a result, the wedding ceremony was performed in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross on August 28. The promised painting - "The Crucifixion of Christ" Kuzma Sergeevich, of course, fulfilled. And since then, the artist began to consider the number "28" as his lucky number.

Mara, who was named Maria Fedorovna in Russia, got a difficult but happy lot - to be the artist's beloved woman, Muse, model, faithful wife. To do this, she had to sacrifice her homeland, singer's career, her usual way of life and, along with this, forever subordinate her life to the service of her husband's talent. However, the woman was immensely happy in her role as wife, as she was dearly loved and loved herself. In addition, despite the huge difference in mental upbringing, she always very subtly felt both her husband's painting and his problems. She was often a kind of tuning fork, to which Kuzma Sergeevich listened very carefully and confidentially.

When the spouses had to part for a short while, the artist was very sad and often wrote home letters full of tenderness and love:

Waiting for a miracle

The only thing that overshadowed their happiness was the fact that during the sixteen years of their married life, Maria Feodorovna could not give birth to a child, which the artist dreamed of very much. He, as if conjuring fate and begging the heir to the heavens, tirelessly painted Madonnas with babies in their arms.

And, as they say in such cases, God heard his prayers. Only one thing overshadowed - the long-awaited pregnancy of the 37-year-old wife was at great risk both for her health and for the life of her unborn baby. But fortunately, everything worked out, and Maria Fedorovna gave birth to Petrova-Vodkina, a beautiful daughter, Elena.

Forgiven treason

But, as it turned out, not everything was so cloudless in a happy family. At the time when Maria Feodorovna was on the demolition, her close friend Natyunya, pianist Natalya Kalvaits, settled in their house, who brought into the life of the Petrov-Vodkins "a cheerful, full of romanticism, childishly carefree … atmosphere."

And everything would be fine if, five months after the birth of little Lena, Natyunya also did not give birth to the artist's daughter, Maria. Such an unexpected turn of events shocked the artist's wife, Maria Fedorovna, who was already exhausted by pregnancy and childbirth, who was very worried about this. Fortunately, Natalia Kalvaits and her child soon left for their parents in Poland, and their traces were lost.

The Petrov-Vodkins, despite the hardships and betrayal they endured, managed to maintain their warm feelings for each other and lived together for 32 years. The last ten years of married life were difficult for the family, since in 1928, Petrov-Vodkin developed tuberculosis. Doctors strictly forbade the artist to paint in oils. And even after such a sentence, despite a serious illness, Petrov-Vodkin constantly made far-reaching plans, many of which never came true. The painter died in 1939 and was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

True love is immortal

And years after the artist's death, Maria Feodorovna donated a photo archive, letters, documents, personal belongings, graphic and painting works (about 90 exhibits in total) to his hometown of Khvalynsk. And in her declining years, the woman wrote her memoirs "My Great Russian Husband", in which she warmly and sincerely told about her life together with a brilliant artist.

And thinking about the marriage union of Kuzma Sergeevich and Maria Feodorovna, the basis of which was true love, devotion and kinship of souls, I involuntarily want to say how fortunate that the brilliant artist had such a sensitive, receptive and all-understanding wife.

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