What is this extraordinary pose? Were she a living person, we would rush to help her, imagining she’s suffering some harrowing grief that’s made her crouch like an animal. In such moments of existential agony, we go deep to the stillest part of ourselves, seeking peace. This kind of suffering is universal, as is the wish for peace: Salaam, Shalom, the Christian “peace be with you,” the Native American peace pipe, Gandhi's nonviolent “truth-force,” the Hindu Shanti mantras, the essence of Buddhism—we all wish for peace because we recognize the suffering Auguste Rodin depicts in this astonishing, heartbreaking sculpture.

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