Nude Modeling for Art

I was just wondering what the general public thought about doing nude modeling for college art classes. Until I find a job, i could really use some extra money. 

Do you all consider this a crass, whorish thing to do? In my mind, it's not a big deal.  But I just wanted some input.

I did it and I was attending art classes at the school so people I went to class with saw me nude.  The professor (one of mine and a terrific working artist himself) was very protective and made sure visitors did not pop in - like one guy that wanted to take photos!  The first time I had to drop my robe, I thought I'd faint but then it was weird.  I really got into it - almost like meditation.  It was a serious figure-drawing class and the intense concentration from the student-artists was exciting.  I could relate to what they were doing because I took a lot of drawing, including figure drawing myself.  The money was great, the students were appreciative and I got a couple of nice drawings out of it.  Go for it!  People that don't get it may make remarks but who cares?

To refer to the earlier discussions, I found the experience of drawing the nude figure as well as modeling a sensual experience which I find different from sexual.  In both cases, I was hyper-aware of a number of things.    As a model: the air on my skin, the scratching of the pencils, the location of my limbs.  As an artist:  the curves of the body, the gradation of values, the proportions of the various parts.  The first time I drew the nude, I was nervously aware of the nakedness but the more I drew, the feeling became a completely different animal.  The challenge to do justice to the human body is humbling and exhilarating.  It added to my appreciation of figurative art.  I also find the human body extremely beautiful and fascinating.  That's just my view.

i am sorry,

i apologize for my tone of voice......it's very frustrating to carry on a conversaion with people you can't see, and you know so littloe about.

as much as we might like to downplay it for whatever reasons we might have, sexuality plays a huge , did i say huge?, i meant H U G E role in  life.

it's everywhere, and therefore, why would it not be in the drawing studio?

that does not mean that sexual activity, or even innuendo are rampant there.....of course not

but.....

for generations society has been led to believe that drawing the naked human figure is all about celebrating the "beauty" of the human body.

if in this context, a 19-year old male college student, who happens to be good at art, is coming face to face with a ,naked slender, nubile young maiden, and is sexually aroused by this, he should not be given the message that in fact he is the pervert here.

and, coffincritter, if you read this post as well, i read your post on the "boys with dolls" topic....you still mean to tell me it's not all about sex?......

oh, no, on second thought,.......the parents who beat their son for playing with dolls, really do so because they are terrified at the prospect ofnever becoming grandparents, right?

now, i am really going to leave this conversation and get back to my real work: painting

should anyone be interested in pursuing this conversation with me, you must clearly indicate that you have read my blog for the first post to the last.

thank you for your interest and your patience.

edo

 

 

Some food for thought:  Why do they call them 'nudes' and not 'nakeds'?

Original Post by stormywillow:

i am not talking about nudity.....i am talking about being naked......you are nude, only when you are by yourswelf and have no clothes on.

you are naked when you have no clothes on and there is someone else who is with you.

of course nudity is not about sex.......omg.

nakedeness is, though.

even when there is a painting of you without clothes on, and you are not even in the room, you are naked, exposed and vulnerable.

i pose to you and whoever is reading these posts, a 20-year old guy in an art class should be left with the impression he is a pervert simply because he finds that the experience has a sexual quality to it.......come on....before you answer tjhis post, take a human sexuality course, like 1o1.

i am a teacher....if you are still uneducated...get yourselves some books, enroll in some courses and get back on this post.... mabe some living will do it too.

fgs,

stop telling young guys, who are getting an eyefull in art class when there is a young selnder, nubile maiden  naked in front of them, to get "their mind out of the gutter"

after all, they grew up on playboy.

 

You say I "win" then go on to make a bunch of snarky little posts deconstructing everything...passive-aggressive much? Or maybe simply hyper defensive--no one but you ever suggested that someone who did find it sexual should be labeled a "pervert"--or did that happen in the same imaginary post where I talked about foot fetishism and showed interest in your posing sessions?

Also, where are you getting this "nude only when alone" stuff from? Because Mirriam-Webster says naked is a synonym for nude, and Oxford defines them both as a state of being unclothed, though it does also specify a "nude" (noun) as the subject of art or photography explicitly. The biggest difference may be that one may be a noun or an adjective, while the other is strictly an adjective, but it doesn't seem to specify how many people need to be present for it to qualify as one or the other.

Original Post by stormywillow:

i am sorry,

i apologize for my tone of voice......it's very frustrating to carry on a conversaion with people you can't see, and you know so littloe about.

as much as we might like to downplay it for whatever reasons we might have, sexuality plays a huge , did i say huge?, i meant H U G E role in  life.

it's everywhere, and therefore, why would it not be in the drawing studio?

that does not mean that sexual activity, or even innuendo are rampant there.....of course not

but.....

for generations society has been led to believe that drawing the naked human figure is all about celebrating the "beauty" of the human body.

if in this context, a 19-year old male college student, who happens to be good at art, is coming face to face with a ,naked slender, nubile young maiden, and is sexually aroused by this, he should not be given the message that in fact he is the pervert here.

and, coffincritter, if you read this post as well, i read your post on the "boys with dolls" topic....you still mean to tell me it's not all about sex?......

oh, no, on second thought,.......the parents who beat their son for playing with dolls, really do so because they are terrified at the prospect ofnever becoming grandparents, right?

now, i am really going to leave this conversation and get back to my real work: painting

should anyone be interested in pursuing this conversation with me, you must clearly indicate that you have read my blog for the first post to the last.

thank you for your interest and your patience.

edo

 

 

No one has said anywhere that a college student who gets aroused should be labeled a "pervert" though--no more than someone who DOESN'T get aroused should be labeled "naive/dishonest/uptight" or any other word you want to toss their way.

As for my college buddy who was punished by his parents I simply have the anecdote he told me, I can't say what was going through his parents' minds when they punished him. Maybe some form of homophobia, maybe some blind adherence to gender roles either in their native culture or here. Maybe they were just bullying psychos. But again, whatever the hangups of two random Phillipino immigrants may be, I don't see how that makes everything "all about sex".

Original Post by judikitty:

Some food for thought:  Why do they call them 'nudes' and not 'nakeds'?

Well, if you go by the Oxford Dictionary, it's because "nude" is the noun and "naked" is the adjective. Though I suppose on occasion a word can be both a noun and an adjective, like "blonde"...

This thread reminded me of this:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/ clips/sculpture-class/2909/

Will Ferrell is a genius...

and another thing:

re: the "paris revolt".....why should you get paid the same as i (a very experienced and creative model?

and.....

there is this very small word in the english language:the

do it for money, but don't do it for the money.

personally, i am glad you decided against it.... i would feel pretty cheap if you and i were getting paid the same.....i think i would demand a tip.

all the best in your studies,

edo

Original Post by burninlove:

This thread reminded me of this:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/ clips/sculpture-class/2909/

Will Ferrell is a genius...

 ha! brilliant, thanks burnin

It's obvious that anyone who thinks nude figure drawing is at all sexual hasn't actually been in the class, or they took it for the wrong reasons.  I took the class last semester and will take it again next semester--I love it.  Everyone treats the models with respect and no rude comments are made or anything.  It takes a lot of guts to get up there and be naked. 

It just surprises me how ridiculous some people can be when they learn I take a class where I draw nude people.  It's not like they're having sex up there.  Nudity is natural and doesn't have to be sexual. 

I am fairly conservative, but I don't have a problem with this at all.  I think that the people in the class would probably be very mature about it.

It's fine for other people, that is.  There's no way I'd subject a classroom of innocent people to the sight of myself naked! I wouldn't want to be responsible for blinding a bunch of people.  If I had a better body I might do it myself; it would definitely be an interesting experience.

you see, now....here is the problem....you are viewing your body against the very norm and standard we have been conditioned to.

i have always heard instructors say that they want all bod types, because, after all ""it's all about art,"right????

the previous poster reveals how people whom she tells about her life drawing class, react........the nudge, nudge, wink, wink thing....doesn't that tell all of you that "out there" it's all about sex (sensuality/sexuality/eroticism)

and inside the classroom?

well, i am a guy and i am an exhibitionist....neither proud, nor ashamed, just am, period.

 

I would think instructors in classrooms want all body types for the benefit of the students--they need to practice and learn to render more than one type of form. Some people jerichohill told about figure drawing may have reacted assuming it was sexual--I suppose this could also have something to do with their ages and upbringings/location though. Here in NYC no one bats an eye at the notion that art students draw nude figures in class--it's a given that it's as much a part of the curriculum as still lifes(still lives?), folded drapery, self portrait assignments, and everything else that's expected of them.

Some may find it interesting to know that for years one of the most popular art models on the NYC circuit in for both public studios and personal work was a woman of nearly 300 pounds named Aviva Stone--you can actually google her name and find artist's renderings of her. She was regarded as a wonderfully expressive model up until her passing in 2007.

coffincritter:

yeah, when in conversation about this whole issue, when i ask if any of my  female friends would be interested in modeling, there is always this answer:" me, with this body???!!!"

i know it's not about who is the skinniest, but somehow we do not seem to be able to attract on a large scale, the  " people with all kinds of body types"

so what is the message these people are giving us?

in order to be a model , one must be skinny???

and isn't "skinny" then not their interpretation of desirability? and where does that notion come from?

i live it you finally give some indication where you live.....so, nyc, after london (england)the most artsy city on the planet.......in all the museums and galleries, how many paintings have you come across picturing obese women?

i use the term obese, as the model you referred to in  your post would, in my mind, fit that category.

no, no, i am not referring to rubens' paintings.....here in the bible-belt hinterland, i have not been able to find any, but, perhaps more significantly, i have in all my years as a model , only come across two voluptuous women models.

and the men?......ah, muscular, macho, young, well-hung.....what's this myth about art models ?

do the young women who are doing this, really believe it is a stepping stone towards the catwalks of milan, paris, rio?

oh, by the way, been to the other side of this site....the drawing/sketching one? i started a poll a few days ago.

hey, it was good to hear from you again,

edo

Original Post by stormywillow:

coffincritter:

yeah, when in conversation about this whole issue, when i ask if any of my  female friends would be interested in modeling, there is always this answer:" me, with this body???!!!"

i know it's not about who is the skinniest, but somehow we do not seem to be able to attract on a large scale, the  " people with all kinds of body types"

so what is the message these people are giving us?

in order to be a model , one must be skinny???

and isn't "skinny" then not their interpretation of desirability? and where does that notion come from?

i live it you finally give some indication where you live.....so, nyc, after london (england)the most artsy city on the planet.......in all the museums and galleries, how many paintings have you come across picturing obese women?

i use the term obese, as the model you referred to in  your post would, in my mind, fit that category.

no, no, i am not referring to rubens' paintings.....here in the bible-belt hinterland, i have not been able to find any, but, perhaps more significantly, i have in all my years as a model , only come across two voluptuous women models.

and the men?......ah, muscular, macho, young, well-hung.....what's this myth about art models ?

do the young women who are doing this, really believe it is a stepping stone towards the catwalks of milan, paris, rio?

oh, by the way, been to the other side of this site....the drawing/sketching one? i started a poll a few days ago.

hey, it was good to hear from you again,

edo

How about Botero's paintings, for depictions of both obese men and women?

As for why it doesn't attract "people with all body types" on a larger scale, I suppose it depends on what the comfort level of the individual who's considering modeling is, for one thing, and another is location. Obviously Aviva felt comfortable posing although she didn't fit conventional beauty ideals, but a lot of people might not. Also, in a large urban area I think you'd attract a wider variety of types--1st off simply because you have a larger and more diverse population, and 2nd off because the mix of cultures and counter-cultures may expose people to a wider variety of ideas about what might be appealing to look at than the narrow view mainstream society presents(I do notice a lot of models tend to be alternative or offbeat personalities. Many are artists or performers themselves. Some artists, myself included, found their understanding of the human form enhanced by posing themselves--my instructors saw a marked improvement in my life drawings during class after I became a model.)

Male models I've known--well there tend to be fewer of them, and again, different sorts of men. Some are like what you described. But not every guy looks like Michelangelo's "David", that's for sure! As for women thinking it's an "in" for fashion modeling, I consider that a whole other industry, and not one that, at 5'4", tattooed, and being anti-fashion, I ever thought much about personally.

I'm not aware of any drawing/sketching side of this site.

1. no, it's not our perception lof the "fashion industry" it's what the models think they might get into....."once i get my foot in the door, who knows......."
2. you are right, location plays a major roll, though kit's notr actually location as culture.....here in central alberta (canada), the fundamentalist christian culture is front and centre and with that are all the other mindsets that come with that.
3. i replied, very innocently and naively, to a post on the figure drawing/nude modeling side of about-inc.com stream.... and yes, i was quite outspoken abouit my ideaqs and all that.....anyway, the thread has taken off like you wouldn't b elieve....
4. i also posted a poll that asks at what age you, as a parent , would feel comfortable for your child to be drawing the naked human figure.
5. and i am just trying to figure out where these numbers come from, every time i start a new paragraph.
6. ah, how i envy you , to have access to moma.....when i was a teenager, i lay my eyes on a catalogue published by moma "the family of man"...a photographic exhibition in the early 1950s (really????!!!0...yes.
7. since then, the collection of 503 photographs has been my inspiration in so many areas of myb life.
8. hey, keep posting,
9. edo

1) Well I can't account for what every art model in the world might think, but from what I've seen, the art modeling circuit and fashion modelling don't really intersect, not even at FIT! I think if a girl wanted to break into fashion modelling, she'd be better off getting a photo portfolio taken and shopping it around to the various modelling agencies than posing in drawing studios. 2)Do fundamentalist Christians ever try to interfere with what goes on in drawing studios/classes in Canada? I've had artist friends have troubles taking their films or books or whatever across Canadian borders for a show there... 3)I don't actually know about any other about-inc.com things. I found this site because I was googling "calories in bananas" one day. So I haven't seen anything else about figure drawing. 4)I'm childfree, so I can't really answer that for myself. There's an art-oriented high school here called Lincoln High that has life drawing classes for teens, and I've been in a few studios where artists brought their small children, who sat quietly and drew me with their Crayolas. I guess individual parents can judge their children's level of maturity for that. All the kids I've seen in studios were well behaved and matter of fact about the nudity, but it would definitely be distracting to everyone else if they were the sorts of kids who just ran around and pointed and giggled non stop! 5-7)That's cool about the photographs. I actually haven't been at the MOMA lately. Last time I was in the area was for the Folk Art Museum next door to it(there was a Henry Darger exhibit).

i'm not reading all these posts, but i did catch a glimpse of the latest ones. i've taken live model drawing classes, and NONE of the models were "models." they were short, and tall, too thin, very fat. really, the unifying theme between bodies was that they created insteresting forms, shapes, and lines with their posed bodies. sometimes you got more drama from your work when you had a woman with rolls posing in front of you. if anything, it does kick the cobwebs out of your head and allow you to see more than the standard form.

also, i don't think there's anything wrong w/ nude art modeling.

hi,

and that's of course as it should be.......but, again, i seem to be running into women (and not all of them "young") who are, r at least ,seem to be quite selfconscious about their bodies. then again, it may well be an excuse to say "no" as well.....all i know that the whole experience has been an immensely interesting one one, one i am so grateful i have had as one of quite a few "careers" over a life time.

hey, critter, again i am just hypothesizing, but i have come to the conclsion that there are those among the fundamentalist faiths who are "sinners" and feel compelled to "repent"

a few years back, i conceived of an art project in which i sollicited "previously owned and worn underwear"

they had to be clean and washed.; i also asked for erotic anecdotes and something about the owners.

the idea was to span a major river with a clothesline with....

well, i did get about 500 of them, not nearly enough to make the art statement....but.....i do live in a small town of 2000 and i received one hateletter and one hate phonecall...that's all i did not get my tires slashed, my windows smashed, or my dog poisoned......yet this is a small town nestled in the buckle of the bible belt.....i have come to believe people generally are far more tolerant than they are being given credit for.

besides, here, where my wife is a schoolbus driver, everyone knows that i am a naked model.....they may look upon us as rather odd, but  hey........

that's a riot: looking for calories in bananas and ending up in this conversation,cool.

take care you two, enjoy the weekend

edo

I think a lot of women in general are going to be self-conscious of our bodies because our bodies dictate so much of our experience--look on a newsstand at how many articles focusing on weight and the body are in women's magazines versus men's. When we walk down the street minding our own business men make comments about how we look, reminding us that we're constantly being seen and judged (of course I notice men on the street as well, but I keep my opinions to myself.) Twice as many ads sell a product using a sexy woman as a sexy man, and men who gray and wrinkle are called "distinguished" while women are simply "old". Some women can get past all this but I think you'll still find a lot more women conscious of their bodies because they know their bodies are more likely to be scrutinized.

What did the hateletter say?

I imagine that, fundamentalist or not, most people have their own lives to tend to, their jobs, their families, etc., and are not going to risk everything to engage in vandalism or violence against someone else who's actions they disapprove of. But of course those aren't the people who make the headlines.