Despair

Auguste Rodin French
 Cast by Georges Rudier French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800

Despair is one of the sculptor’s various meditations on human despondency. Body coiled inward, the figure fruitlessly strains against the force of her foot pushing into her hands. Her pose recalls Rodin’s studies of dancers, but here bodily movement, confined by a foursquare block, is doomed to remain self-contained and endlessly repetitive. Despair derives from the upper left door of The Gates of Hell.

Despair, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Despair, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French
Despair, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French
Despair, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.