The Grimace of the Soul: Franz Xaver Messerschmidt and the Sculptural Uncanny
This is a lecture on the strange and haunting world of 18th-century sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, whose infamous Character Heads still unsettle, fascinate, and perplex viewers centuries later. In this richly illustrated lecture, we explore the life and legacy of this enigmatic Austrian artist, whose work straddled Enlightenment rationalism and deep psychological unrest.
Was Messerschmidt a visionary anatomist, a madman obsessed with bodily expression, or a mystic mapping the human psyche in marble? Through archival accounts, art historical analysis, and a dive into the artist’s own bizarre beliefs—such as his battles with the “Spirit of Contradiction”—we uncover the deeper meanings behind his grotesque, contorted visages.
Perfect for lovers of the uncanny, students of art history, or anyone intrigued by the fine line between genius and madness. Join us as we look beyond the marble and into the mind of a man who quite literally sculpted his inner demons.
Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena's New Book - Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon
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