15
Likewise, Construction of the Rhythm of Forms
shown here at TEFAF is clearly a portrait and
one closely related to the famous 1914 portrait of
Wanda that was, in the words of the poet Yakov
Yadov-Ortuta, 'reason for divorce'.
It seems odd, and there is no logical
explanation, that there are no other portraits
of Wanda post-1915 but this 'diminutive, soft
and delicate woman', as recalled by Dmytro
Horbachov, was responsible for keeping her
husband's legacy alive. When the Germans
took Kiev in the autumn of 1941, Wanda packed
her late husband's entire oeuvre into a trunk,
placed it upon a cart and personally wheeled
the contraption 15 miles outside of the city to
relatives in Svyatoshino. When the Germans left,
she repeated the journey in reverse.
Wanda outlived her husband by 54 years. It was
as if she created the genius of Bogomazov and,
having done so, spent the remainder of her life in
its preservation.
Seated Woman Reading (Wanda), 1913, Charcoal on paper, 21.5 x 18 cm
Private collection, Vienna
Portrait of t he Artist's Wife, 1913. Charcoal on paper, 21 x 16.5 cm
Private collection, Netherlands
Woman Reading, 1914, Red chalk on paper, 30.5 x 28.5 cm
Sammlung Ellen & Michael Ringier, Zurich
