Maria
Alexandrovna Denisova-Shchadenko

Born in Kharkov, 21 Oct 1894, died 10 Dec 1944 in Moscow. Creative skills learned in Odessa, Lausanne, Geneva, and Moscow. Thesis - a portrait of Lenin and defended in 1927. Her works were exhibited at international exhibitions in 1916, 1930, 1931 and later. The first love of Vladimir Mayakovsky.

He studied first in the private scenic Studio, and then at the art school. Maria Denisova married a promising engineer Basil Stroyev. Lived with him in Switzerland. There they had a daughter Alice. Maria continued painting and sculpture in Lausanne and in Geneva (1914 to 1918). Maria later studied in Moscow, at the famous VHUTEMAS. The marriage did not work out. Stroev went to England, and Maria — lost in revolutionary Russia. This strong spirit the woman left her daughter with friends and went to the First Cavalry army. Not being military service, became head of artistic and agitation Department of the army. The First Horse, and then another. Wrote propaganda posters, drew cartoons, played the scene. At the exhibition “Mariya” in the Museum of Vladimir Mayakovsky hangs a surprisingly modern portrait of a young woman in white garments, shorn bald. She has a great modeling head, inquiring look, and a proud independence. Maria had three of typhoid fever and was wounded. The picture was taken soon after her return from the hospital. During the civil war Denisova second time married Yefim Afanasievich, Schadenko, member of the revolutionary military Council of the First Cavalry army (he was part of the RVS together with Voroshilov). When the war ended and began a dull, such as canvas, life, suddenly showed complete incompatibility of the personality of the artist with the needs and tastes of a major military rank. Schadenko, was Deputy people's Commissar of defense. He was given a large apartment in Moscow house on the embankment, at last, the tenth floor with a huge balcony. Husband was annoyed that his wife always busy with your sculpture. Maria Denisova-Schadenko was a strong muralist, her sculptural work has been exhibited at the international Biennale in Geneva, Venice, Warsaw, Zurich, Bern, Copenhagen. In Moscow she had several exhibitions. She sculpted a portrait of her husband, reinforcing in him the traits of heroism and courage, as in the portraits of major public figures and military leaders of those years. Her gentle and loving soul showed its beauty in white marble self-portrait with daughter “Motherhood”.

Not everyone likes it made in a cast head “of the Poet” (1926-1927). Denisov severely portrayed Mayakovsky with deep folds running from the lips to the chin. The head of a poet immersed in the plaster, sinking in it. The head of the doomed: hard wrinkles between the eyebrows, and keen, watchful look of a man who realized the degeneration of people and ideas, understands the approach of the tragic end. This portrait makes you wonder, to seek answers. Myself Maria in a letter to Mr Putin explained his plan: “Work “the Poet” is built on a sharp angle — and essentially, You sharp-coal”.

Family life Maria Alexandrovna with Efim, Schadenko had become to her a real pain. Her sculptures were thrown out into the balcony, under the rain, wind and snow. There was even a light, chaste “Motherhood”. Perhaps in Moscow society Maria met the poet. She wrote to him. Here is one of her letters to the Mayakovsky of 21 December 1928:

“My dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Please, take care of your health — I am very sorry to learn that You were to pass, of course, in terms of health — because clearly literary you on the right track. I would like one or two monumental works... take care, my dear, yourself. How strange, You are provided with, and can't surround yourself with atmosphere and life that would have kept You longer. What's with the eyes?

I shake Your hand, my always kind and close.

Maria.”

The PostScript of the letter is much longer, written in messy, with many abbreviated words, even sometimes without punctuation. On the sidelines of Mary said: “my husband went — went to a hostel for the unemployed, RABIS, and all because of the sculpture, because housework took all day...” And then an important detail about her husband: “Temporarily persuaded to return, threatening that shot — And need to go to work does not. Domostroy. Selfishness. Tyranny.” And literally cry at the end: “we Need the marble to the workshop otherwise kind and moral murder...”

From a letter of 1929, we learn an important detail — M. A. Denisova've been to Mayakovsky's house and received from him financial aid:

“Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich! Schadenko, categorically not allow me to take your money — he thought I was joking the first time, saying that You will be paying the nature and the casting. Now that I'm debt — asking You on Thursday at 4 p.m. to be home or on Friday in 4 hours... For Your help I am eternally grateful, if I ever could be useful, then, clearly, did the same for You, as You.”

In a letter dated 8 Dec 29, the year she wrote: “Thank you, dear, for the protection of women from domestic sentiments to husbands of members. Helps and “Bath” and “Bug”. Comes. Good beach — the word sarcasm.”

Then something happened — a lot is covered in darkness. There is no reason her works made after the 36th year. Stopped sculpting, or everything was destroyed? In those years the fate of breaking and even the lives of the inhabitants of the House on the embankment. And in the 28th year she wrote to Mayakovsky: “...we have to leave the sculpture, but for me it is tantamount to death”.

If you tyrannize, will not allow you to be creative — how can you not fall into the determined. The word Maria was once used in a letter to Mayakovsky. In letters to the 29-year women kind of nervous style, “torn” handwriting — a sign of severe mental distress. What was the reason her last desperate step — timid rumors, rush down from the tenth floor? Around her suicide solid mystery. While no one was able to clarify the details of this tragedy.

Maria committed suicide in 1944. She was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery (plot 4, row 9, grave 14).

Colonel-General E. A. Schadenko (1885-1951), was buried at the Novodevichye cemetery on the plot of warlords. Grave of Maria Alexandrovna has long been abandoned, forgotten by all, even his family. Her daughter Alissa V. went to England with her daughter, Olga Karpova. The second daughter Alice, Tatiana Karpova, remained in Moscow. Know nothing about her even Museum workers.

(from the article Natalia Dardykin, MK-newspaper 22.01.2001)