Messerschmidt's Character Heads: Maddening Sculpture and the Writing of Art History

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Michael Yonan (University Of Missouri)

Messerschmidt's Character Heads

Maddening Sculpture and the Writing of Art History

Michael Yonan (University Of Missouri)

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English

Routledge
30 June 2021

Individual artists, art monographs; Psychological theory & schools of thought

Series: Studies in Art Historiography

This book examines a famous series of sculptures by the German artist Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736–1783) known as his ""Character Heads."" These are busts of human heads, highly unconventional for their time, representing strange, often inexplicable facial expressions. Scholars have struggled to explain these works of art. Some have said that Messerschmidt was insane, while others suggested that he tried to illustrate some sort of intellectual system. Michael Yonan argues that these sculptures are simultaneously explorations of art’s power and also critiques of the aesthetic limits that would be placed on that power.

By: Michael Yonan (University Of Missouri)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 178mm,
Weight: 381g
ISBN: 9781032096308
ISBN 10: 1032096306
Series: Studies in Art Historiography
Pages: 206
Publication Date: 30 June 2021
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Table of Contents Introduction Part I: Writing the Artist’s Mind Introduction to Part I Chapter 1: Nicolai’s Dreamer Chapter 2: Kris’s Psychotic Part II: Writing the Artist’s Context Introduction to Part II Chaper 3: Mesmer’s Acolyte Chapter 4: Lichtenberg’s Ally Part III: Writing the Artist’s Project Introduction to Part III Chapter 5: The Game of Making Chapter 6: The Envy of the Gods Conclusion

Michael Yonan is associate professor of art history at the University of Missouri–Columbia, USA. He is a specialist in eighteenth-century European art and material culture.