Whether or not you believe in fate, the
lives of numerous people are being directed by some invisible hand. Our ancestors would
describe fate as "It was preordained," while the Germans explain it by saying
"It was put into his cradle."
On a sunny April day in 1987 in a
southern Ukrainian town, a fair-haired girl came into this world. Her guardian angel gave her a fair and magnificent name- Daria, and fate put into her
cradle Talent, Charisma, Beauty, Love and Success.
However, among those splendid gifts there was no gift of Time for her to fully enjoy them
all.
Daria was born on April, 12th,
1987 in Kherson. They say that God
grants us the length of life but
as for the breadth, we are free to choose it ourselves. Daria took no notice of the
proportions of her life’s length and breadth. Her life became ephemerally thin and at
the same time paradoxically broad. Looking back at her ways she seemed to always feel
constrained. Her deep soul never
had enough time, enough space. If she could have flown she would have torn off the ground.
Instead, she moved from town to town
from one country to another to explore new worlds, new possibilities.
In 1989 her family moved to Moscow.
In 1993 at the age of six she became a
student of a private school, the Moscow School
for Girls. This had a great impact on her destiny and
it was there that she acquired that inimitable nobility and grace, which in
combination with her fair complexion, light
feminine build, and blond silky hair gave her a touch of aristocracy. During her school
years Daria took a great interest
in different kinds of art – she drew, painted and took part in school performances.
As early as then she displayed a great talent for decorating specially with respect to color and possessed a special
insight into space.
From 2001 to 2002 Daria studied at the
design school. Her diploma work took first
place. Looking at her work, it is difficult to believe that it was created by a
15-year-old child. Even then the word “child” did not fit her. Her works were very subtle and aesthetic and marked with unique accuracy and linear definition.
Now we can only guess how her creative
potential acquired that precision.
In
2002 at
the age of fifteen she graduated high school in Moscow, one year beforehand.
By this time, she had a good command of
English and French and entered the senior class of a prestigious American private school
,Montverde Academy. Since her early years
Daria developed a surprising sense of tact and intuition followed by success. They were
integral parts of her ambitious personality.
There was no limit to perfection for her, nothing was impossible. In Montverde Academy she
completed all the required courses including an Advanced Placement Art. .
During this time most of her paintings
,watercolors and drawings were created, she also won her first awards for her art work..
How much time does one need to be the best in
everything… how much time does one need to
just live… no mathematician, summing up the time could
find an explanation as to how she could possibly fit all those “bests” into the short span
of her fruitful life. Her works show that she could devote herself completely to different
projects.
She possessed this heavenly energy, you
could see the artist in her work as well as in her personality.
By taking an active role in the school’s art community she received the award of “Most
Artistic Female”. Daria graduated as Valedictorian and was also named the senior
In the Fall of 2003, at the age of 16, Daria entered the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She focused all of her
energy on Studio.
Daria took part in architecture
projects, read a lot, wrote diaries, drew and
took sophisticated photographs. She also dedicate much of her time to studying and analyzing the works of her favorite architects,
Santiago Calatrava and Antoni Gaudi and the
artists Salvadore Dali and Joseph William Turner. Her freshman year project was presented by her school
for the accreditation of its architecture program.
Daria was only 19 years old, only a year and a half away from graduating and full of creative ideas ,when her life tragically ended on November 19th, 2006.
She was to have a successful career and a future
full of hope.
Her whole life was
So perfect ,so wholesome,
So alien to the earthly surroundings
It seemed to have gone
To have disappeared
In the sky like a star…
Daria often put down dot, dot, dot while writing her diaries. And now we don’t put
down a dot, we also put dot, dot,
dot…
Her life goes on in her creations; in
her paintings, drawings, photography and architecture designs.
In
acknowledgment of her talent and individuality the Taler School of Art at Temple University
created a memorial and established the Daria Chentsova scholarship.
The words of those in charge of the school of architecture,her professors and lectures attest to the fact that she possessed an extraordinary talent.
"Daria was a
special young woman who passed through this world much too quickly. Her beauty and
intelligence were gifts that she used wisely. I pray that her memory will live on in some
magnificent way that honors her existence on
this earth” (Laurie Duffy, Director of Academic Services).
"Daria
was a bright spot in so many ways. Her
knowledge was great and worldly. Her insights were always worthwhile. She was happy and
full of life, pretty and always smiling” (Kate Wingert-Playdon, associate Professor
Temple Archetecture).
"Daria
impressed me with her talents, abilities, attitude and work. She was so smart and I was
shocked it find out that she was two years younger than the other students. She ran
circles around students two years older than her, and made it look easy” (Diana
Nicholas, Lecturer).
"A
light has gone out here in our Architecture
Department with Daria’s passing” (Elizabeth masters, Lecturer).
Her talent and her individuality show
themselves in her works. Daria was gifted with a sense of light color and space. Her exuberant personality and her
seeking soul were embodied in her work. She was equally excited by the natural surrounding world and the character of the people
she portrayed.
Her determination to express her own
insight into life in general and into its every single moment by way of different artistic
means- painting, drawing, architectural projects, her photography - is the basis of her
artistic conception.
All of
her works are exceptional, charming, versatile, just like she was ...