The film Camille Claudel 1988, the love story of young French sculptor Camille Claudel (b. 8 Dec 1864–19 Oct 1943) that ends in paranoid and isolation. She renowned for her work in marble and bronze, “The Waltz” & “The Mature Age”. Her work held in the collection of the four major museums in the world.
- Musee D’Orsay (Paris)
- Washington, National museum of Women in the arts (Washington, DC)
- Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia)
- J. Plant Getty Museum (Los Angeles)
Daughter of a Farmer
A daughter of a wealthy farmer and landlord who got unconditional support from her father. She was born to Louis Prosper Claudel and Louise Athanaïse Cécile Cerveaux, an aristocratic affluent family. Her mother was catholic and a daughter of a priest. When her father came to know interest and soon decided to support her career, going against the family decision. Camille got absolute support mentally as well as financially from her father throughout her life.
Her most famous place she ever likes to live, especially in summer, was Villeneuve. Before she could pass 12 years of her age, she was creatively already playing with stones. However, irrespective of her talent, the unapproved relationship costed her Isolation till the last breath.
Work, Love & Affair
After early training from french sculptor Alfred Boucher, the unconditional love and affair of Claudel started at the age of 19 in 1883 with 43 year senior Auguste Rodin. There were almost 22 years of gap between them. In the movie Camille Claudel 1988, it did such a well that at IMDB received 4 starts ratings.
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
Mark Twain
The love story started when she joined the Rodin’s workshop (who used to make erotic sculptures) and working for two years brought her fame and strong relationship between them. Both created Shakuntala which brought her prize, fame, and attention of the many critics. With the passage of time as the sun fades away, thus love between Claudel and Rodin soon devolved. Therefore, ten years of love after loss brought her in shock and both started living apart.
The life believes more in practical thoughts than the attached emotional facts. Thus, it drags you to practical life despite your emotions.
Lokesh Umak
Camille Claudel’s Letter to Auguste Rodin
Monsieur Rodin!
Since I have nothing to do now, I am writing to you again. I walked in the park, everything was already cleaned around, hay, wheat, oats, you can go everywhere, it is wonderful. If you are so kind and keep this word, paradise awaits us. For work, you will get the room you want. The mistress, I think, will be at your feet. She told me that I can safely swim in the river where her daughter and the maid bathe. There is no danger. If you do not mind, I will do so because it is a great pleasure, and it will save me from having to go to hot baths in the Aze. It would be nice of you to buy me a dark blue bathing suit with white trim, separate, a blouse and twill drawers (medium size). This can be done at the Louvre, or at the Bon Marche store, or at Tours. I sleep completely naked to imagine that you are nearby, but when I wake up, I am alone again. I kiss you. Camilla. Most importantly, do not fool me any more.
Loss of Love and Mental Health in the film Camille Claudel 1988
The ten years of the strongest affairs finally when came to an end in 1892 at the age of 28. Therefore, it is just a start of a better half of any other woman. Her work, “Clotho” (1893) and “The Maturity” (1895) display her broken life through her art. However, after the break-up, she did not get any help from the finance team of Rodin. Furthermore, Rodin, for their obsolete relationship, he tried to help Claudel. However, she refused. Despite carrying her broken heart and unforgettable 10 years of love and affair, Camille stood strong again for her followers.
Once the woman decided the end of the relationship, she hardly takes back.
The Claudel decided to move on. She was a nature lover from her childhood. She stood against her the past love experience contrary to her mental health and started to create again. Furthermore, she created her real work in 1897 with all the support. Not only that, but she also received some finance from her dear friends.
Rage & loneliness
The year ahead of 1899 started to lose the grip she had, and soon Claudel started living alone. Her mental health started disturbing extensively. Therefore, in ire, Claudel destroyed her work. In her complex state of mind, she started feeling that she is alone and all the world is against her. Her psychological condition became damn numbed. She found herself behind the bars of the door where she used to welcome the visitors and never allowed herself to social again.
The complete destruction of her work reported in 1912 and the following year, her the most loved person, her father, died in 1913. The health of Camille became more serious when nobody from her family informed about the death of her father. It happens mostly in the family when one decision goes against the majority of the family. In the case of Claudel, her father was the only person supporting to her career and the rest (her mother, brother, and younger sister) were against.
The family of Camille let her swim in asylum till the end. She died isolated alone in 1943 when she was 78. And her body never claimed by her family members.
A letter to her Doctor
“I am reproached (what a terrible crime!) to have lived alone, spending my life with cats. I have felt persecuted. It is based on accusations that I have been imprisoned for five years and a half like a criminal deprived of freedom, deprived of food, fire, and the most basic essentials.”
Furthermore, read the Complex Relationship Of Frida And Diego and the suicidal poet Sergei Yesenin: To Die, In This Life, Is Not New, And Living’s No Newer, Of Course.
