A defining feature of the University’s introductory drawing course is the presence of nude models. Found in almost every class period, models range from students to professionals, showcasing a fluid range of people, spanning from those confident in modeling to those leaping out of their comfort zone.
Nudity is often a taboo topic, especially in professional or academic spaces, where wearing clothes and dressing appropriately are the norm. When students find themselves in Drawing I (ARST131), they quickly discover that these norms are thrown out the window. Models pose on a large platform in the middle of the studio and take on what many would describe as their worst nightmare: standing fully naked in front of a crowd of complete strangers. The Argus sat down with Lauren Schweitzer ’27 to discuss their experience with nude modeling.
“It’s very vulnerable,” Schweitzer said. “However, I always repeat to myself, like a mantra, that nobody cares if I have a tummy or if my chin looks weird, because this is part of the whole drawing. I gain a lot from seeing my body as something that could be made beautiful in art.”
The first time Schweitzer modeled, a mix of emotions was racing through their head.
“You’re on a stage and you’re naked, and I felt like, ‘What am I doing?’” Schweitzer said. “But then there was a moment where it kind of clicked, because the huge thing about modeling for me is that it really doesn’t matter what your body looks like. It doesn’t matter if it’s pleasing to the eye because the artist is trying to put it down on paper.”
In the same vein, modeling, especially while nude, can empower an individual.
“I could do anything, and [the artists] would have to draw it. How much power is that?” Schweitzer said. “In that way, [modeling] is very meditative.”
Finding an inner peace while modeling helped Schweitzer create a meditative sense of empowerment.
“I laid still for two minutes [in one modeling session], and I was thinking, this is gonna be hard,” Schweitzer said. “But you really forget time when you’re there; it’s easier than you think it’ll be.”
Student artists can choose what sections of the body to focus on, potentially misrepresenting the actual model and proportions of their body. Societal norms also dictate our perceptions of what bodies should look like, versus what we actually see with our own eyes.
“What that means is you get a lot of tits and ass [in students’ drawings], especially for me, because those are the parts of my body that are most societally eye-[catching],” Schweitzer said. “In the beginning of classes, I often see figures of myself that don’t look anything like me.”
In professional contexts, nudity is often associated with stigmatized occupations, such as the sex work industry. “Artists’ models may seem at first blush to be like other groups in society that employ nudity and exist at the margins of conventional life, such as strippers, exotic dancers and peep show workers,” sociologist Clay Hipke said in an article published by the University of Florida. “But artists’ modeling has a long and distinguished history. The nude form has cultural and historic roots all the way back to the Greeks.”
“Our concept of nudity, in the U.S. in particular but in the world in general, is that you’re either showering or you’re having sex, and those are mostly the two times we’re naked throughout the day,” Schweitzer said. “That leads to a viewing of naked bodies as sex objects and that being naked is inherently a sexual thing.”
In the face of common conceptions of nudity, Schweitzer believes that drawing the nude form is an important aspect of artistry.
“For the artist, I think you need to be able to draw figures naked,” Schweitzer said. “It transforms how you look at bodies. It transforms how you look at yourself.”
Nudity offers the artist something that clothes cannot, according to Schweitzer.
“Once you’re comfortable with drawing naked bodies, it’s a lot easier to draw them clothed,” Schweitzer said. “If our only education was clothed models, I think there’s a lot I wouldn’t be able to do.”
From the 16th through 19th centuries, the primarily male artists depicted only a narrow range of body types, leaving out a significant population of bodies. Men depicted in art were thought to represent reputable qualities such as strength and honor, and were even used to represent female bodies in art, leading to inaccurate representations and views of non-male bodies still present today. When nude women were depicted, which became more frequent as female models became possible to hire, they were often idealized and sexualized white bodies.
“All of the old European dudes who only ever had male models don’t understand how boobs work,” Schweitzer said, indicating towards the area around their neck. “Boobs are floating around [in the artworks] and they’re this high on your chest.”
A well-rounded education about the different body types and how they affect one’s drawing is a crucial aspect of being a successful artist. Nude models represent a powerful way of expressing one’s body through openness and sensitivity.
“People are going to see my body, which is usually a very private, very personal thing,” Schweitzer said. “Your body is a witness and has witnessed everything you’ve done in your life.”
For Schweitzer, modeling helped them reflect on how they perceive themselves.
“There is something really powerful in changing how you view your body [instead of it being an inherently sexual object],” Schweitzer said. “[Modeling] really changes how I view my body, because I can be naked and not feel like I have to be sexy or hot.”
Chloe Rappaport-Crowther can be reached at crappaportcr@wesleyan.edu.
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