Art modeling involves the
posingPosture or posturing may refer to:In humans* Neutral spine or good posture* Human position* Abnormal posturing, in neurotrauma* Posturography, in neurology* Posture and Occupational HealthIn biology...
of a
modelthumb|200px|Alesya Nazarova modeling a dress by [[bebe stores|bebe]]A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed for the purpose of displaying and promoting fashion clothing or other products and for advertising or promotional purposes or who poses for works of art.Modeling...
, an often paid, sometimes even professional, human subject, as an aid in creating a portrait or other work of
artArt is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings...
including such figure wholly or partially.
Models are frequently used for training art students, but are also employed by accomplished artists. The most common types of art created using models are
figure drawingFigure drawing is an exercise in drawing the human body in its various shapes and positions. "Life drawing" is the process of drawing the human figure from observation of a live model...
,
figure paintingFigure painting is a form of the visual arts in which the artist uses a live model as the subject matter of a two-dimensional piece of artwork using paint as the medium. The live model can be either nude or partly or fully clothed and the painting is a representation of the full body of the model...
,
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard and/or plastic material, sound, and/or text and or light, commonly stone , metal, glass, or wood. Some sculptures are created directly by finding or carving; others are assembled, built together and fired, welded, molded,...
and
photographyPhotography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by recording radiation on a sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an electronic sensor...
. Although commercial motives dominate over the esthetics in
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. Frequently it communicates a message that includes the name of the product or service and how that product or service could potentially benefit the consumer...
, its 'artwork' commonly employs models.
Throughout the history of Western Art, drawing the human figure from living models was considered the most useful tool in developing the skill of draftsmanship. In the
art schoolArt school is a colloquial term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture...
classroomA classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
setting, the purpose is to learn how to
drawDrawing is a visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, chalk, pastels, markers, stylus, or various metals like silverpoint...
humanHumans are bipedal primates belonging to the species Homo sapiens in Hominidae, the great ape family. They are the only surviving member of the genus Homo. Humans have a highly developed brain, capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, and problem solving...
s of all different shapes, ages and ethnicities, so there are no real limitations on who the model can be. In some cases, the model may pose with various props, one or more other models, animals etc., against real or artificial background, in natural or artificial light and so on.
Posing
While posing, the model is expected to remain motionless, like a
mannequinA mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing. During the 1950s, mannequins were also used in nuclear tests to help illustrate the effects of nuclear weapons on human beings...
, except for 'moving poses'. An experienced model will not speak, wriggle, scratch, or readjust during the pose, unless confronted by an artist or instructor who doesn't believe in complete stillness and silence in poses. To accommodate the physical limitations of the model, the model and instructor or artist may agree a schedule such as 25 minutes on, 10 minutes off to relax the muscles. The model's level of experience and skill may be taken into account in determining the length of the posing session and the difficulty of the poses.
Poses generally fall into three categories: standing, seated and reclining. Within each of these there are varying levels of difficulty, so one kind is not always easier than another. Artists and life drawing instructors will often prefer poses in which the body is being exerted, for a more dynamic and aesthetically interesting subject. Common poses such as standing twists, slouched seated poses and especially the classical
contrappostoContrapposto is an Italian term used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. This gives the figure a more dynamic, or alternatively relaxed appearance...
are difficult to sustain accurately for any amount of time, although it is often surprising what a skilled professional model can do. Poses can range in length from several seconds to many hours. Short dynamic poses may be used for
gesture drawingGesture drawing, as performed in art schools, academies, and colleges, is the practice of drawing a series of poses taken by a model in a short amount of time, often as an exercise with which to begin a life drawing session...
exercises, with the model striking a pose - which can include strenuous or precarious positions that could not be sustained for a longer pose - just long enough for the artist to quickly capture the essence of it. Active, gestural, or challenging standing poses are often scheduled at the beginning of a session when the models' energy level is highest. Short exercises in drawing classes typically run from 5 to 25 minutes. For extended poses in which the model will take one or more breaks,
chalkChalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. It forms under relatively deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores. It is common to find flint and chert...
marks and/or
masking tapeMasking tape is a type of pressure sensitive tape made of a thin and easy-to-tear paper, and an easily released pressure sensitive adhesive. It is available in a variety of widths. It is used mainly in painting, to mask off areas that should not be painted...
are often used to help the model resume the same pose. These breaks - during which the model usually wears a robe or puts on clothing - allow the model to stretch, relax and attend to other needs.
Nude models
Models for
life drawingFigure drawing is an exercise in drawing the human body in its various shapes and positions. "Life drawing" is the process of drawing the human figure from observation of a live model...
classes are often entirely
nudeNudity is the state of wearing no clothing.It is related to the concept of modesty and is sometimes used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation, and in particular exposing the bare skin or intimate...
, apart from visually non-obstructive personal items such as small jewelry and sometimes eyeglasses. In a job advertisement seeking nude models, this may be referred to as being "undraped" or "disrobed". (Alternatively, a
cache-sexeA cache-sexe is an item, often a small garment, that covers its user's genitals. The most common style, seen in Western G-strings and Japanese Fundoshis, has a triangle of material attached at the corners to straps or strings around the waist and between the legs, that fasten the triangle over...
may be worn. Eadward Muybridge's historic scientific studies of the male and female form in motion, for example, has examples of both usages.)
In
WesternThe Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term that can have multiple meanings depending on its context...
countries, there is generally no prohibition on either sex posing nude for or drawing members of the opposite sex. However, this was not always so in the past, particularly prior to the 20th century. In 1886
Thomas EakinsThomas Cowperthwait Eakins was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator...
was famously dismissed from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art for removing the
loinclothA loincloth is a one-piece male garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt, which covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks.-History and types:Loincloths are and have been worn:*in societies where no other clothing is needed or wanted...
from a male model in a mixed classroom. Similarly,
VictorianVictorian morality is a distillation of the moral views of people living at the time of Queen Victoria in particular, and to the moral climate of Great Britain throughout the 19th century in general that were in stark contrast to the morality of the previous Georgian period...
modesty required the female model to pose nude with her face draped (
illustration). European arts academies did not allow women to study the nude at all until the end of the nineteenth century. Up into the present day some rare art classes prefer
maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
models to wear a
jockstrapA jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity...
.
Policies vary regarding male models having an
erectionPenile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal. Penile erection can also...
. Some instructors don't mind at all (especially with younger or inexperienced models), while others, including the Register of Artists' Models (RAM) in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, consider this as cause for termination. In any case, it may be inconvenient for the artists, as the subject is not exactly the same as when the drawing session commenced.
During art school classes or an academic setting, it is commonly prohibited for anyone (including the instructor) to touch the model. Very close examination or requests for adjustment are typical—with the permission of the model. A few institutions allow only the instructor to speak directly with the model.
Additionally, nude models are sometimes paid to model as part of a performance or work of art; a fine example is the work of
Vanessa BeecroftVanessa Beecroft is an Italian contemporary artist living in Los Angeles.-Artistic practice:Beecroft's work is a fusion of conceptual issues and aesthetic concerns, focusing on large-scale performance art, usually involving live female models...
. Nude modeling can also occur in a private setting as demonstrated in the films
As Good as it GetsAs Good as It Gets is a 1997 comedy film directed by James L. Brooks starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and won for Best Actor and Best Actress...
and
MazeMaze is a 2000 romance film about an artist—Lyle Maze —with Tourette syndrome, who falls in love with Callie , the pregnant girlfriend of Maze’s best friend Mike while Mike is away on a long stay in Africa as a doctor.-See also:* I Have Tourette's but Tourette's Doesn't Have Me – An Emmy-award...
. Finally, a person can be their own model, while solo, with or without mirrors.
Clothed models
The clothed or costumed model is as much in demand as the nude, especially in commercial art. Nineteenth century models who applied for work at painters' studios were expected to wear and look appropriate in period dress or character costume, and sometimes supply the garments themselves. Today, many art and design schools still train their students to sketch the dressed figure, and often pay more for costume models, who maintain their own wardrobes, than for nude models.
Training and selection
In the art school classroom setting, the purpose is to learn how to draw humans of different shapes, ages and ethnicity, so there are no real limitations on who the model can be. If the modeling is done nude, children are excluded as they are considered too young to pose. The minimum age can vary, but is often 15 to 18, and may be influenced by the
age of consentWhile the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent of consenting to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
.
In some countries there are organizations which concern themselves with the competence, conduct and reliability of art models. An example is the Register of Artists' Models (RAM) in the United Kingdom. Some basic training is offered to beginners and membership is by audition - to test competence, not to discriminate on grounds of physical characteristics. RAM also acts as an important employment exchange for models and publishes the 'RAM Guidelines', which are widely referred to by models and employers.
A similar organization in the United States, the Bay Area Models Guild in California, was founded in 1947. The Figure Models Guild of Washington, D.C. was founded in 2002.
The Art Model's Handbook explains how to pose for art classes, professional artists, and fine art photographers.
History
The
GreeksAncient Greece is the civilisation belonging to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth. It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the...
, who had the naked body constantly before them in the exercises of the
gymnasiumThe gymnasium in ancient Greece functioned as a training facility for competitors in public games. It was also a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. The name comes from the Greek term gymnos meaning naked. Athletes competed in the nude, a practice said to encourage...
, had far less need of professional models than the moderns; but it is scarcely likely that they could have attained the high level reached by their works without constant study from nature. It was probably in Ancient Greece that models were first used. The story told of Zeuxis by
Valerius MaximusValerius Maximus was a Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes. He flourished in the reign of Tiberius.-Personal History of Valerius Maximus:...
, who had five of the most beautiful virgins of the city of
CrotoneCrotone is a city in Calabria, southern Italy, on the Ionian Sea. Founded circa 710 BC as the Achaean colony of Croton , it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages until 1928, when its name was changed to Crotone. In 1994 it became the capital of the newly established Province of Crotone...
offered him as models for his picture of
HelenIn Greek mythology, Helen , known as Helen of Troy , was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War...
, proves their occasional use.
During the
RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
, painters generally made use of their relations and friends as models, of which many examples might be quoted from
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
,
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
,
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
and other places, and the stories of
Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio, born 1473/1490 , died 27 August 1576, better known as Titian , was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venetian school of the Italian Renaissance. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno , in the Republic of Venice...
and the duchess of Ferrara and of
BotticelliAlessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli or Il Botticello was an Italian painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance...
and
Simonetta VespucciSimonetta Cattaneo de Vespucci was the wife of the Italian nobleman Marco Vespucci of Florence. She also is alleged to have been the mistress of Giuliano de' Medici, Lorenzo the Magnificent's younger brother. She was renowned for being the greatest beauty of her age - certainly of the city of...
, go to show that ladies of exalted rank were sometimes not averse to having their charms immortalized by the painter's brush. Paid models were not unknown, as the story of the unfortunate contadino used by
Jacopo SansovinoJacopo d'Antonio Sansovino , was an Italian sculptor and architect, known best for his works around the Piazza San Marco in Venice. Andrea Palladio, in the Preface to his Quattro Libri was of the opinion that Sansovino's Biblioteca Marciana was the best building erected since Antiquity...
as model for his statue of the
BacchusIn classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos is the god of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology, and one of the twelve Olympians, amongst whom Greek mythology treated him as a late arrival...
will show.
Artists' models as a special class appeared when the establishment of schools for the study of the human figure created a regular demand, and since that time the remuneration offered has ensured a continual supply. In the media era, modeling is also coveted as a way to achieve notoriety or even
celebrityA celebrity is a person who is famously recognized in a society or culture.Generally speaking, a celebrity is someone who gets media attention and most frequently has an extroverted personality. The desire to be notable is implied by some to be a part of Western culture and more specifically the...
status opening the way to other careers, such as acting.
Non-academic modeling
Models are hired by a variety of creative professionals, including not only painters and sculptors, but any artist, designer, or craftsman who requires a human model for study. The conventions for this type of modeling are much less well defined, especially as the models are often friends or family. Artists who regularly hire strangers may observe art school standards in order to make models feel more comfortable, and to avoid possible legal issues.
Professional artists often have a circle of models they work through, hiring and adding as time passes. When a comfortable working relationship is established, many painters and artists relax their standards and models do the same. Longer poses, more comfortable and casual environments, and more collegial relationships may develop. However, in a professional studio environment, with an artist on a deadline or with commission guidelines, art school and art-model industry standards generally apply, with higher rates of pay and longer, more demanding poses.
External links