Agosta, the Pigeon-Chested Man, and Rasha, the Black Dove
Schad’s models unerringly return our gaze. Their convincing presence reflects the artist’s association with the New Objectivity, an artistic movement that combined social criticism with a near-photographic realism. The black woman and the pigeon-chested man were accustomed to scrutiny, earning their living as sideshow acts in Berlin funfairs. Unusually this unsettling portrayal of the objectification of the body, voyeurism and social alienation is focussed on the male as well as the female nude.
