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Desolation

Desolation is a sculpture by Josep Llimona, one of the leading figures of Catalan modernism. The first version, made of plaster in 1903, entered the permanent collection of the National Art Museum of Catalonia thanks to a donation by Domènec Sanllehy, then mayor of Barcelona, in 1909. The work became a paradigmatic example of modernist sculpture, admired for the perfect anatomy of the female body and its melancholic, chaste attitude, which links it to symbolism. A larger marble replica was made in 1917 for the oval pond in Barcelona’s Parc de la Ciutadella. The original replica is now kept in the Catalan Parliament, while copies stand in its place and in other collections.

Desolation, a white marble sculpture of a nude kneeling figure with bowed head and long hair draped over the face.
Desolation by Josep Llimona, shown as a white marble kneeling figure with the head bowed in a gallery setting.
June 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Desolation, a white marble sculpture of a bowed figure with an outstretched hand resting on a textured block.
Desolation by Josep Llimona, showing a hunched marble figure with its head bowed and one hand extended forward.
June 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Desolation, a white marble nude female sculpture crouching with her head bowed beside a rough stone base.
Desolation by Josep Llimona shown in a museum setting, with the marble figure crouching beside a stone base.
June 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Desolation, a light stone sculpture of a reclining nude figure seen from the back on a rough rectangular base.
Desolation by Josep Llimona, shown as a reclining nude stone sculpture from the back.
June 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Desolation sculpture in Barcelona
Desolation, a listed sculpture in Barcelona’s Modernisme district.
July 2011 © · CC BY 2.0

Identification

TitleDesolation
Spanish titleDesconsuelo
French titleChagrin
TypeSculpture
Original titleDesconsol

Creator

ArtistJosep Llimona

Historical context

Art movementCatalan Modernism
Stylistic associationSymbolism
First version date1903; probably made in gypsum/plaster, not preserved
First public presentation1907, at the V International Exhibition of Fine Arts and Artistic Industries of Barcelona (also described as the International Exhibition of Fine Arts of Barcelona)
AwardHonor prize / gold medal at the 1907 Barcelona exhibition

Discovery and provenance

AcquisitionBought by Domènec Sanllehy, then mayor of Barcelona, and donated in 1909 to the Municipal Museum of Barcelona, later incorporated into the National Art Museum of Catalonia
DonationDonated in 1909 by Domènec Sanllehy

Location and ownership

Copy locationsMuseo del Prado, Madrid; museum in Sitges (two replicas, one plaster and one marble); Museum of Catalan Modernism, Barcelona; Streep collection, Barcelona; municipal museum of Viña del Mar, Chile; Captaincy General of Catalonia; Kelleher Rose Garden, Back Bay Fens, Boston; courtyard of the painter's house-museum in Palma
Heritage statusListed as a Local Cultural Asset (BCIL) in the Inventory of Catalan Cultural Heritage, code 08019/527
Boston copyA copy was donated to Boston in 1984 and presented in 1986
Replacement at original siteA copy was installed in its place
Original locationParc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona
Current locationNational Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), Barcelona, Spain
Relocated toInside the Parliament of Catalonia in 1984, for preservation after damage caused by pollution

Physical characteristics

Replica sizeReplicas described as slightly smaller, slightly larger, or much larger than the original, depending on the version
SubjectA nude female figure, or a woman hiding her face in despair
PoseLeaning against a block with her head lowered and face concealed by hair or a veil of hair
ExpressionMelancholic, chaste, resigned, and despairing; the emotional effect is hermetic and mysterious
AnatomyThe female anatomy is rendered with notable perfection
Formal featuresHidden gaze, closed body composition, curved contours, undulating lines, softened contours, and hands resting on the stone
Measurements67 × 76 × 67 cm

Materials

Primary materialMarble; the earlier first version was in gypsum/plaster

Technique

TechniqueSculpted from a single block of marble, with the base left roughly carved

History and restoration

Replica historyMultiple replicas were made during Llimona's lifetime and later; versions include marble, bronze, plaster, and stone, with some made for funerary monuments and others for public display
1917 replicaIn 1917, Llimona made a larger marble replica for the oval basin in Forestier's garden design at Ciutadella Park; the original later moved from the Museum of Modern Art in the Parliament of Catalonia to MNAC storage, and pollution damage led to a replacement copy made in 1982 and installed in 1984
Bronze replicaA bronze replica with a marble pedestal was exhibited in 1934 at the Parés Salon as part of an exhibition honoring Josep Llimona
Stone replicaA stone variation, with the female figure clothed, forms part of the funerary monument to Mercedes Casas de Vilanova in the Southeast Cemetery in Barcelona

Significance

SignificanceA paradigmatic work of Catalan Modernist sculpture, especially after the lifting of the Circle of Sant Lluc's ban on nude figures
ContextAssociated with the Artistic Circle of Sant Lluc, a conservative Catholic artists' group founded by Josep Llimona and his brother Joan; the work reflects the shift in modernist sculpture toward expressing feeling over beauty
InfluenceShows the influence of Auguste Rodin, especially Danaid, while being noted as more melancholy and chaste
InterpretationIts formal and emotional treatment is seen as a Symbolist expression of inner emotion and desolation