Ever since there have been tools with which to make sketches, drawings, paintings, and other types of visual representations, there have been images of nude subjects. There is, however, an essential difference between being nude and being naked. Naked is what one is when stepping out of the shower. It is candid. Nude is premeditated.
Yet throughout the years a distinct evolution of nude modeling can be seen.
Nude modeling has been around almost as long as artists have. There is something tantalizing about the skin that can’t be overlooked or denied. Yet, tantalizing as it is, it has been highly controversial and remains so today. And some cultures, in certain eras, forbade it, and some still do.
Over the years, nude art has gained favor and lost favor, depending on the culture. In European art, nudity is prevalent and more acceptable, whereas American art is somewhat more conservative. The Japanese culture, having no negative connotation of nudity, tends to have models that are partially clothed. This is probably because nudity is almost commonplace in Japan, and they seem to want to leave little bits to the imagination. Yet, regardless of culture, the audience plays an important role in nude art.
However, while not being prudish, the artists did know their audiences, and would often paint two different versions of the same painting, similar to our present day director’s cut and unrated cut DVDs. While some would argue that the general public and religious institutions are the prudes for censoring the artists with fig leaves, black bars, and blurs, the truth of the matter is that the models themselves are the prudes.
This is not always the case, but it follows more often than not. I believe this because in searching for models to interview, I was often dismissed and ignored. And of the two models I interviewed for this piece, only one allowed me partial use of his name while the other denied permission altogether.
So, I found it rare to find a nude model comfortable enough to talk about their modeling career. Nowadays, most nude models are found on college campuses, posing in the buff for the benefit of hopeful artists or for money and to satisfy their own curiosity. The days of the Renaissance artists having several mistresses who posed for them are over. While it is true that the nude models of today are compensated monetarily, this is not usually their only motivation. Former nude model N. Phillips admitted of modeling nude, “It was out of interest. I always wondered about being nude without threat of arrest. Oh, and the money.”
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