Ladies and Gentlemen, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, and his Character Heads!!

As I was perusing one of my favorite art blogs, but does it float, I came across the sculptures by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (February 6, 1736 – August 19, 1783). He is well known for his Character Heads, a collection of busts exhibiting a range of contorted facial expressions. Messerschmidt was a German-Austrian artist and sculptor who according to a transcript compiled by German author Friedrich Nicolai in 1781, had for many years "been suffering from an undiagnosed digestive complaint, now believed to be Crohn's disease, which caused him considerable discomfort. In order to focus his thoughts away from his condition, Messerschmidt devised a series of pinches he administered to his right lower rib. Observing the resulting facial expressions in a mirror, Messerschmidt then set about recording them in marble and bronze. His intention, he told Nicolai, was to represent the 64 "canonical grimaces" of the human face using himself as a template" (Wikipedia entry for Franz Xaver Messerschmidt).

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, Afflicted with Constipation, 1771–83, lead-tin cast

Character Head: The Hanged, 1770 - 1783, alabaster

The Yawner, 1771-81, tin cast

 A Hypocrite and Slanderer, 1771–83, metal cast

 The Beaked, 1781, alabaster

Have a great Thursday,
xKlara

Monkeys

A still from the trailer of "Dai Gunjyu Nezura,"

("The Great Horde-Monster Nezura"). 1964?

The film about an invasion of giant rats

was conceived by the Daiei film studio

of Japan, but was never completed.

I have decided to confess to the world my dizzy infatuation for my pet rats, Ari and Nicholas (both males). And while I would not advise one to cuddle up to a feral rat, domestic fancy rats are smart and social, each with unique personalities.

Among the many nicknames I use to address my rats: monkeys, ratties, little mens, monkey pups, honey beans, and Ari pants. Now that it is clear that I am a nutcase, I think I will make my exit.

I have included a few photographs to help illustrate why I think that rats are so neat-o.

I hope you enjoy.

P.S. Nicholas is the boy with the wider white stripe on his nose. Ari's stripe is more narrow and a bit off-kilter.

Little man Nicholas is such a lovely little fellow.
I am endlessly fond of him.

As a general rule I do not dress up the rats. However,
sometimes I will make an exception. Hehehehehe

Nicholas eating a rattie snack (a raisin). Nom nom nom.

A mouth-watering staircase

   The magnificent Holsteiner stairs in Wuppertal, Germany captivate and exhilarate me. I wish that public art was a common experience in every city and town. This installation by German artist, Horst Gläsker, was imagined and realized as part of the 7 Stairs Arts Festival, where seven artists were asked to respond to seven staircases. You might notice the text on the individual steps. Gläsker assigned to each stair, a word used to describe human relationships. You can visit Gläsker's website here.

Scala Horst Gläsker 2006/2008 Holsteiner stairs in Wuppertal Acrylic paint on 112 steps xKlara

New Recruits

Hello there,
I have three new animals to add to my menagerie of future action figures. I conducted a little photo shoot, and here are some favorites.

Hostile Neckwear

   Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Today I am showcasing the rather antagonistic tie, that I found at the Spokane Northwest Christian Thrift Store. Although a bit stained, I was forced to snatch it up due to its wonderfully insulting tone.

Until next time,

xKlara

The ghost and the darkness..of the bin of toys at Value Village.

   I found two tigers sitting in a bin of small cast-away stuffed animals at Value Village. I imagined this assemblage of plushies (due to its proximity to a much larger bin of sizeable stuffed creatures) to be somewhat lonely and bitter about things. I immediately liberated the two cats from the malodorous bin, all the while looking suspiciously over my shoulder just in case another shopper had a mind to lift them from my person. They are the cat's pajamas.

   Aside from the label Tigeress [sic] , and Made in China, there are no other marks indicating when it had been made, or by whom. I'm not sure what shape their future will take, but it will be something befitting their stately form.

    The cats are about eight inches tall at the top of the head, and thirteen inches long from nose to tail.

Louisiana Revisited 12/20/06 (slightly revised)

In honor of Carnival, I thought that I might post an email that I had sent to friends while living in Louisiana (2006). I was fascinated by the region and had just purchased a Nikon FE (1978). I used my weekends (and later, just my Sundays, as the workweek grew to six days a week), to explore and document my experience there.   


Hello Friends,


   I just developed photos from a jaunt I took this Saturday through some of the small towns between Lake Charles and Lafayette, LA. Some of these towns seem frozen in time, their antiquity only enhanced by their single stop light and "Main Street" storefronts. It's such a delight to find them hidden so close by. These are the towns described by Harper Lee, Mark Twain, Alice Walker and John Steinbeck, among others. I wouldn't fault you for accusing me of being overly romantic. I am hopelessly sentimental. And while I might think neglected, decaying spaces can sometimes be beautiful and mysterious, I realize that I am seeing them from the perspective of an outsider. As a resident, the wonderful old Paramount Theater, boarded up and closed since the 70's, would only make me sad. I went to Iota ("The little town with a big heart"), Estherwood, Jennings and Hugo. All towns visited had the same hardware store that (I imagine) smells like sawdust and skittles, has a floor that creeks and is the best place to trade gossip. The most important social event is the Friday night high school football game at the home field.


   I stopped at a "convenience" store to pick up some Chex Mix, and couldn't find the snack isle due to the stock not being organized in any logical way. You would expect to find chips, pretzels, and snack mixes all together, right? No. You aren't allowed such luxury. I had to work for my Chex Mix. It was a store where its shelf space was too great for its inventory, so everything was strangely arranged to create the illusion of abundance. I was not fooled. Finally from behind the counter, the woman with the scraggly blond mullet and missing front teeth soothingly drawled, "whach you wan bay-be?". When I told her, she pointed me in the direction of a rack partially hidden behind a cork bulletin board displaying keychains and necklaces that had been made with brightly colored plastic cord. (You may have learned this craft at camp or as a member of Campfire or Girl/Boy Scouts). As if to harmonize with the other products for sale, the chip bags were also covered in a thin layer of dust. An act of solidarity between the snacks, cans of Spam and bags of Top Ramen that were so thoughtlessly placed around the room. 


   I found my outing so enjoyable that I plan on doing it again next weekend. I need more practice behind my new Nikon FE. It seems that as I learn to use my camera, the more clumsy the photos look. I have included the best shots.
   

Thanks for looking!

-Klara

Ear Candy....

My newly completed earrings were inspired by Love Lune's Talisman Necklace. Such a beautiful, simple design.You can find them here. Her blog can be found here.

                                                    

I found some lovely orange thread at Shele's Bargain Barn that will soon have a new life as either another pair of earrings, or maybe a necklace with multiple small tassels. 

Have a great weekend!

-Klara

O Carnival

I love this fanciful post from Demure Folk. The timeworn beauty and curious design slays me. I would enjoy living in such a place, partly because it is wonderfully small, but also because I could put my little house in so very many different places. You might as well know that I am a little bit sweet on tiny houses. While small homes may be well-advised when it comes to cost and environmental impact, to introduce a family (or an absurdly large vintage pillow collection) could be grim.
Enjoy! -Klara