Claudel, Camille (1864-1943)
Jeune Romain ou Mon Frère (Young Roman or My Brother)
c.1882
Patinated plaster, 51.5 x 45 x 28 cm
Musée Camille Claudel, Nogent-sur-Seine
Camille Claudel had probably just arrived in Paris when she sculpted this portrait of her brother Paul, then 13 years old. A confidant and faithful playmate, Paul was also her first model and the person she depicted most often. With pursed lips and a distant gaze, Paul displays a serious expression that contrasts sharply with his young age, and the drapery around his shoulders lends him a certain solemnity.
From the very beginning of her career, Camille Claudel demonstrated her talent as a portraitist and her ability to capture the psychology of her subjects. Here, she combines all the evocative power of Roman Antiquity, and especially of the Florentine Renaissance. Indeed, despite its title, this portrait strongly evokes the Italian busts of the early Italian Renaissance that Claudel studied at the Louvre Museum. The reliquary-like shape of the bust, that is, cut off at the shoulders, the admirable rendering of the drapery, and even the use of two colors are direct references to this period. In this respect, it aligns with the Neo-Florentine movement of its time, inspired by the 15th-century Italian Renaissance: one can see a probable influence from Paul Dubois, a leading figure of this movement. However, Claudel maintains a naturalistic style and a psychological exploration that are uniquely her own.
This bust testifies to the mutual affection between brother and sister. Some twenty years later, the bust of Paul Claudel at age 37 reaffirms this enduring relationship, these fruitful artistic exchanges between the renowned writer and the sculptress. (MCC)
See also:
• Paul Claudel (1868-1955)