Maud Dale 1931

Charles Despiau made this bronze bust of Maud Dale, and you can see him pinching, prodding, and coaxing the form into being. I like to think of that moment when the artist is still exploring and feeling their way around. Think about how it feels to work with clay—the push and pull, the way it resists and yields. You can see it in the face, how the features emerge from the material, bearing witness to the artist’s touch. The surface is not smooth or idealized but textured, with a kind of rawness. This is how Despiau captured something essential. The gaze isn’t direct, but soft and thoughtful, as if she's looking inwards. It reminds me of Rodin, but softer. Despiau invites you to contemplate the complexities of human presence, the silent dialogues that exist between the artist, the model, and the artwork itself. It's like they are all having a conversation about what it is to be human.