Camille Claudel

Auguste Rodin's controversial and turbulent love affair with Camille Claudel was just 19 when Rodin first saw her, and he was captivated by her talent, originality, and attractiveness. She was a gifted sculptor who studied at the Academy Colarossi in Paris under the tutelage of Alfred Boucher, her first tutor. The sensuality and fluidity of two lovers caught dancing in an embrace are beautifully depicted in her bronze sculpture "La Valse," which has become famous. The three stages of life and the conflict between youth, old age, and death are shown in her piece "The Mature Age," which is currently on display at the Rodin Museum in Paris.

She was cared for by Rodin until their separation because it was practically difficult for a woman to receive any fame or to make a living as an artist during her lifetime. Many years after her passing, she would finally be acknowledged for her contributions. Her sculptures in marble and bronze, which combine sensuality with strength and poetry, were considered avant-garde, especially for a woman of her day. Because of her financial dependence on Rodin and the fact that he won't marry her, her intense relationship with him would be a major source of frustration. Claudel, regrettably, spent the final 30 years of her life in a mental hospital.

Birth - Death: 1864 - 1943