Focus on this artwork and explore the Background and meaning.
Claudel conceived the design of this sculpture in 1897. In 1899, the work in plaster was exhibited at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. A copy in marble was commissioned by the Countess Arthur de Maigret for her mansion on the rue de Teheran in Paris. French sculptor François Pompon participated in the carving of marble and slightly reduced the work's size. The marble sculpture was presented at the 1902 Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Four years were needed to complete the sculpture, due to financial difficulties after state commission of the artwork was cancelled, following Rodin's withdrawal of his support for the commission in anger after seeing Claudel's sculpture The Mature Age.
This work was the last of Claudel's career. Both this piece and Claudel's sculpture The Mature Age were influenced by her break-up with her art teacher, colleague and romantic partner, sculptor Auguste Rodin. Influenced by emotion, the sculptor gave Medusa her own facial features.
Medusa The Mature Age Auguste Rodin