Portrait of Count St. Genois d’Anneaucourt

2016
Inkjet on watercolour paper
90 x 67.5 centimeters

The artist Christian Schad is noted for the portraits he painted during the 1920's Weimar Republic period in Germany. They are typically descriptive and Schad didn't resile from depicting his subjects' sexual preferences. In the spirit of the republic's sophisticated decadence, the count evidently had a liking for transvestite men as well as women, he was a man who, according to Schad, "was someone who could live only in a metropolis."

I've chosen a classically formal representation of the trio in this recreation that suggests the power imbalance when the wealthy and influential indulge in transactional sex. The count looks comfortable with his hands casually stuffed in his pockets while his consorts stand stiffly and expressionlessly by his side. Dressed in their diaphanous gowns they reflect their role as sexual objects easily accessible for the count's pleasure.

Count St. Genois d’Anneaucourt by Christian Schad: Popmpidou Centre
Review in the New Yorker magazine

---