Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Extreme Facial Expressions

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736 – 1783) was a German-Austrian sculptor known for his "character heads" – busts with extreme facial expressions.

He started out as an academically trained sculptor doing normal portrait commissions. 
But then the work dried up, he lost his teaching position, and he suffered a mental malady that they called "confusion in the head."

He also suffered a stressful abdominal problem. When he pinched a rib to distract himself from the pain, he noticed that he winced in interesting ways. 

He developed an interest in necromancy and the arcane, which further inspired his character heads. 

Wikipedia on Franz Xaver Messerschmidt 
Thanks, Frank!

4 comments:

Tom Hart said...

Wow. I'd say Messerschmidt was an under-appreciated genius, far ahead of the time when photography would be capturing these fleeting moments.

Thanks James. This is yet another gem I'd never have known, if it wasn't for this blog!

Diana Moses Botkin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diana Moses Botkin said...

Messerschmidt's sculpture looks like a face casting, it's so amazingly realistic. I feel sorry for his model, however. Apparently this was the artist?

I have fond memories of Jack Lalanne. My mother did his exercises in the 50s and stayed trim.

The facial exercises he demonstrates on the video you posted are pretty close to some yoga moves. I love Lalanne's energetic exhortation to combat facial flesh that "looks all hangy and saggy".

obat kanker payudara said...

haha,,,funy xpressions!!!