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EVOLUTION OF SCULPTURE
For details of the origins and
development of the plastic arts
see: History of Sculpture.
NOTE
Messerschmidt's plastic art is
sometimes classified as
"Late Baroque", as well as
Neoclassical or even "Rococo."
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Heads
Around 1770, Messerschmidt began to work
on his so-called character heads ("Charakterkopfe").
As with several modern artists after him, including Vincent Van Gogh and
Edvard Munch, it is thought that Messerschmidt's genius in these works
may have been linked to the onset of a mental illness, induced by hallucinations
and paranoia. The heads represent a series of men whose faces are contorted
into various grimaces. It is believed that Messerschmidt may have suffered
from undiagnosed Crohn's disease, which caused him endless discomfort.
According to the German author Friedrich Nicolai who visited Messerschmidt
in his studio, the sculptor used to pinch his lower ribs to focus his
thoughts away from his suffering. He then observed his grimaces in the
mirror and set about recording them in bronze
and marble. His intention, he told the author
was to represent the 64 "canonical grimaces" of the human face
using himself as a template.
Messerschmidt also seemed to suffer from
severe hallucinations: dreams of spirits visiting him at night and torturing
him. One of Messerschmidt's most famous heads, Character Head: The
Beaked Man (1770, Osterreichische Galerie, Vienna), carved from alabaster
was the result of one of these terrifying dreams. Messerschmidt sought
to arrange his grimaces into a scientific system which he believed would
benefit others in similar distress.
Other examples of Heads include: Character
Head: Ill Humoured Man (1770-83, Private collection), sculpted in
lead; and Character Head: Incapable Bassoonist (1770-83, Private
collection), fashioned in tin alloy. A celebrated metalworker, Messerschidt
was highly interested in the composition of various alloys. The majority
of his busts are made in lead, then given a fine silver finish. Other
examples include Character Head: The Arch-Evil Man (1770-83, Osterreichische
Galerie, Vienna); Character Head: The Gentle, Quiet Sleep (1770-1783,
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest); Character Head: The Hanged Man
(1770-83, Osterreichische Galerie); and Character Head: The Lecher
(1770-83, Osterreichische Galerie).
Retirement and Death
After the 1770's, Messerschmidt found himself
increasingly at odds with his peers, many of whom ridiculed his head sculptures
- an attitude which may have further aggravated his mental condition.
In 1774, when he applied for the vacant position of leading professor
at the Academy where he had been teaching for five years, he was instead,
expelled. A letter to the Empress explained that Messerschmidt had a 'confusion
of the head'. In bitterness, Messerschmidt retreated into retirement,
devoting himself exclusively to his busts until he died in 1783. After
his death, 69 heads were found in his studio, of which only 43 survive
today.
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