Camille Claudel

Camille Claudel

The French sculptor Camille Claudel born in 1864 and passed away in 1943, was the scholar, and lover of Auguste Rodin, as well as a major artist in her own right. She was perhaps better known for her emotional relationship with Rodin than for her moving works of art, many of which can be found at the Musee Rodin in Paris. After her breakup with Rodin in 1898, Claudel composed some of her best sculptures, yet she grew increasingly isolated and paranoid. In 1913 her family admitted her to an insane asylum, where she remained for the last 30 years of her life. Camille Claudel was the eldest of three children born to Louis-Prosper Claudel and Louise-Athenaise Cervaux Claudel.

Camille Claudel, Tête d’esclave, 1887

Though not wealthy, the Claudels were well established in the community and lived comfortably. Of her three children, Louise-Athenaise, the mother, favored Claudel the least, preferring her obedient and traditional younger sister, Louise. In a household filled with dispute, Claudel turned for affection to her father, and especially to her brother, Paul. Paul also had the talent of an artist, which he wanted to pursue. He crafted a talent for writing that would make him one of France's leading poets and playwrights.

Both artists shared a deep love and understanding, and from an early age they motivated and inspired each other in their creative activities. The first sculptures Claudel completed at the school are among the earliest surviving examples of her creative works. These include a bronze bust of her brother at age 13, which was made in 1881, and La Vieille Helene 1882, modeled after the family housekeeper. The latter piece would become her first exhibited work in 1885.On the advice of his friend Alfred Boucher, an established sculptor, Louis-Prosper Claudel sent his family to Paris so that his daughter Camille might study art. After being Rodin’s protégé, she was influenced by his every artistic thought. As she stated in one of her letters dated October 27, 1889 “I’ve been making sculptures for seven years and I am Monsieur Rodin’s pupil” (Claudel, 1889). The style of Claudel 

Camille Claudel, Young Girl with a Sheaf, before 1887

Auguste Rodin, Galatea, 1889

When Rodin recognized Claudel’s talent, he also fell in love with her immediately. The two sculptors’ were very talented and through their similar work, you can see the love that inspired each other’s artistic capacities. This intense love affair, involving their personal and professional lives, inspired both artists, whose works functioned as testimonies, criticisms or echoes of one another. Claudel also showed greater restraint than Rodin in her work. Few direct allusions to their relationship can be seen in her sculptures. Her most important tribute to her teacher and lover was the Bust of Rodin.

Auguste Rodin, Mask of Camille

But Rodin’s refusal to leave Rose Beuret enraged Claudel, who expressed her anger with rare violence Terrified by Claudel’s violent character, Rodin began to avoid her, although he still loved her, and settled in Meudon in late 1893. In the early years of the twentieth century, Claudel had begun a pattern of working obsessively for months, and then destroying her creations. She had become reclusive, losing touch with the world, taking in stray cats, and letting her apartment fall into a state of filthy disrepair. She struggled with poverty, and turned down social invitations with the excuse that she had nothing to wear. Increasingly, she grew paranoid of Rodin, imagining that he was plotting against her. In 1913 she was admitted into a mental asylum and remained there till her death in 1943.

Camille Claudel, Bust of Rodin, 1888-1889

-"National Museum of Women in the Arts." Camille Claudel. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.

-"Camille Claudel." - The Art Tribune. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.

-Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1990. Print.