The Yawner

Messerschmidt, a student of Johann Baptist Straub, was one of the pioneers of a new, early Classicist artistic style in Vienna around 1770. His best-known works are the 49 ‘character heads’, physiognomic studies with which the artist examined the expressive power of the human face in an excessively grotesque way. The focus on human emotions is probably also a result of the development of humanities at that time. The Yawner is one of the artist’s most striking works; the wide-open mouth might be a reference to well-known works such as Anima Dannata by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini. The original pieces were mostly made of lead or stone. Bronze casts such as this were produced in limited editions after the artist’s death. (Barbara Til)