The events of my life would fill more than a novel. It would take an epic, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and a Homer to tell my story. — Camille Claudel (image via Wikimedia) In 1884, when she was 20 years old, Camille Claudel left her family home in the French countryside to begin an apprenticeship with a renowned sculptor: Auguste Rodin. She assisted in his workshop, shaping hands and feet on his works, but she also modeled for him. Her figure is now memorialized in a series of busts and bronzed characters. The two became lovers, with Camille eventually leaving her commune of female artists to live full-time with the artist in his residence (alongside his wife and his other lover). As Camille grew in talent, however, Auguste resented her presence. Following an illegal abortion in 1892, the two ended their relationship — and Camille became convinced that Auguste persuaded prominent funders to withdraw their support of her bronze work.
A Woman to Know: Camille Claudel
A Woman to Know: Camille Claudel
A Woman to Know: Camille Claudel
The events of my life would fill more than a novel. It would take an epic, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and a Homer to tell my story. — Camille Claudel (image via Wikimedia) In 1884, when she was 20 years old, Camille Claudel left her family home in the French countryside to begin an apprenticeship with a renowned sculptor: Auguste Rodin. She assisted in his workshop, shaping hands and feet on his works, but she also modeled for him. Her figure is now memorialized in a series of busts and bronzed characters. The two became lovers, with Camille eventually leaving her commune of female artists to live full-time with the artist in his residence (alongside his wife and his other lover). As Camille grew in talent, however, Auguste resented her presence. Following an illegal abortion in 1892, the two ended their relationship — and Camille became convinced that Auguste persuaded prominent funders to withdraw their support of her bronze work.