582. Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736-1783),

Austrian, An Arch-Villain, 1770-1783. Tin-lead alloy,

height: 38.5 cm. Österreichische Galerie, Vienna.

 

 

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt

(1736 Weisensteig – 1783 Bratislava)

 

Suffering from mental illness, Messerschmidt, a German sculptor, was expelled from the Academy of Vienna and ended his life in Bratislava after having worked brilliantly at court. This work is part of the sixty-nine Character Heads undertaken after his retirement. All are variants of his self-portrait. The extremely convincing execution of his expressions, which go from triviality to morbidity, integrate only with difficulty into the art landscape of the eighteenth century. At a time when the Enlightenment raised man to the place of God, Messerschmidt gives a pitiless image of humanity, both formidably violent and infinitely vulnerable. A parallel can be made between his works and the Essays on Physiognomy (1775-1778) of Johann Kaspar Lavater, who referred to Messerschmidt several times in his book. The artist was also interested in working with metal alloys and exploring their various effects. Thanks to a combination of tin and lead, the sculptor gave to this head an illusory silver aspect.