Josep Llimona's Despair: Symbolist Marble Sculpture Analysis

Josep Llimona's Despair: Symbolist Marble Sculpture

Metadata and Context

• Author: Josep Llimona (1864 – 1934)
• Type of Work: Female marble sculpture, 67 x 76 x 80 cm
• Style: Modernism Symbolist
• Chronology: 1903 – 1907
• Geographic Location: Parc de la Ciutadella, Museum of Modern Art, Barcelona

Description and Analysis of the Work

Josep Llimona's fame is mainly a product of the treatment given to the female figure. From a block of marble, reminiscent of Michelangelo's unfinished figures, a beautiful, naked female figure emerges. The work derives its name, Despair (Desconsol), from its position, which is both pathetic and melancholy.

The sculptor has literally taken the figure from the hard marble, as evidenced by its close contact with a large, almost untouched piece of material. It is as if the sculpture were being released from its place of origin.

In the nude, one can easily appreciate the serenity of the form, the sensitivity, and the delicacy with which the subject was handled. Nothing is hidden, except the protagonist's face, which helps the viewer identify with the desperate feeling of the figure. The nobility of marble allows for detailed work on the forms and chiaroscuro, leaving the profiles completely free. There is an exquisite tenderness that contrasts sharply with the hardness of the material. The figure remains prostrate on her knees, her outstretched arms embracing the very core of the marble. She is a young woman with flowing hair covering her face and falling onto her arms.

Symbolism and Original Intent

The figure originally belonged to a group of sculptures intended for a burial vault. This context evokes a delicate and mysterious woman who hides her face in an attitude of abandonment, her form shining through the smoothness of the marble. The delicately constructed contours form a curve, which hides the character's inner world, invisible to the viewer, who can only see a figure in a state of total dejection.

Technical and Stylistic Aspects

Auguste Rodin's influence on the sculpture of the century was enormous. His works were known by contemporary Catalan sculptors, due both to their frequent trips to Paris and the opportunity to see a significant number of these works at the 1907 International Exhibition.

However, in the first decade of the twentieth century, Catalan artists such as Llimona and Clarassó focused primarily on the representation of the nude female figure, characterized by:

• Fuzzy edges
• Round shapes
• Languid attitudes
• Enigmatic smiles and closed eyes

These artists deliberately avoided the vitality and sensuality characteristic of Rodin's figures. The attitude of passivity and mystery in these figures defines the essential features of Catalan Symbolist sculpture during this period.