The Wave 1897

Camille Claudel made "The Wave" out of onyx and bronze during a time when women sculptors were often overlooked in the art world. Claudel, who had an intimate relationship with Rodin, worked in his shadow and was often not credited for her work. The wave here, looming, powerful, is a visual metaphor for the social and personal forces that threatened to engulf women artists. We see three bronze figures, caught in the wave's power, each nude, vulnerable to its force. The wave contrasts dramatically with the figures, underscoring themes of vulnerability and struggle. The sculpture captures a moment of extreme tension. Does the wave represent the challenges and emotional turmoil Claudel herself experienced? She spent the last thirty years of her life in a psychiatric institution, never sculpting again. In her work we can find a visual representation of the battles faced by women striving for recognition and autonomy in a male-dominated society.