L’Implorante (1898)

Claudel, Camille (1864-1943)

L’Implorante (The Implorer)
modeled 1898, cast c.1905
Bronze, 27.9 × 36.8 × 21.3 cm, 5.3 kg
Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York

Camille Claudel, Rodin’s most brilliant student, was consumed by her twelve-year affair with the sculptor. In this unforgettable bronze, which she modeled the year their contact ended, Claudel transforms into art the unendurable tensions between sex, love, and creative passion that characterized her relationship with Rodin. (MET)