Messerschmidt's Character Heads

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.

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.

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