Considered the best sculptor of Catalan Modernisme, Josep Llimona and his brother Joan founded the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc, a group of artists with strong Catholic and conservative convictions, of which Antoni Gaudí was also a member. This group, with its strict rules such as the ban on nudes, was opposed to the renovative ideas of the early Modernistes. When the members of the Cercle finally modified this rule, Modernista sculpture began to flourish. 'Desolation' has become one of this movement's paradigmatic works. The perfection of the anatomy of the female nude and, in particular, its chaste, melancholy posture help to strengthen its ascription to symbolism.

This work has been selected for the project 'Partage Plus – Digitising and Enabling Art Nouveau for Europeana'