The Naked World of Artists

by Jen Posthuma

Nude figures have been a subject matter in art since anything resembling art was produced. Nude figures appear in the Venuses of the ancient civilizations, Cycladic figures, classical Greeks images, renaissance and impressionist paintings and continue to appear in the present art movements. Nudity has become a norm in art and is almost even expected, but there seems to be a problem; some people who are both Christians and non-artists seem to have a moral issue with it. I, being both a Christian and an artist, would like to shed a little light on the other side of the story. The main issue is that of using live nude models for the purposes of drawing and sculpting. I happen to enjoy drawing from nude models above most other artistic activities. The first reaction I usually receive to my drawing of naked people is something along the lines of “Why do you need to see that?” typically accompanied by some immature attempt to embarrass me.

Let me tell you why I “need to see that”. First of all, in order to be a good artist one has to develop their artistic skills by means of naturalistic (realistic) renderings. Not all artists have a naturalistic style, but most artists start by learning how to draw accurate representations. This gives them a good foundation and starting point from which to explore other genres. People are one of the most essential and most difficult things to learn how to draw. In order to be good at drawing people, one needs to know what they look like under their clothing, as well as, under their skin and the structure of their skeleton. When someone is wearing their clothing while modeling for you (hopefully as little clothing as possible), there are certain areas that are not exposed. These areas still need to be observed by the artist in order for them to understand, for example, the way the legs attach to the torso, or the way shadows fall on the back and the chest. It is extremely difficult and irritatingly frustrating to have to try and guess or make up what is not observable. When people don’t have the opportunity to draw from models, their figures end up horribly disproportionate and inaccurate. We can also learn from Michelangelo, who only used male models, and ended up with masculine looking women in his paintings.

Some people immediately write off nudity in art as pornographic and unwelcome. There is a very fine line between that which is art and that which is pornography. Typically when a model is drawn, their poses are natural, ranging from very energetic, to restful postures. These postures differ considerably from poses that are erotic and provocative. (I need to take a minute here to note that not all erotic works are necessarily pornographic, since there are many works of art in history that are both erotic and show artistic genius. Such works would include Giorgione’s sleeping Venus, and many of Rodin’s drawings and works). Sexuality itself is a very beautiful thing and a part of creation. Therefore I would argue that works of art are only pornographic if they pervert human sexuality. (I am not at this point going to define what one could consider a perversion since it is a highly controversial issue and is defined differently for different people) Questionable pieces of art need to be evaluated on an individual level and then can be censored at the discretion of the community.

Some others see a moral problem with drawing from nude models based on the idea that it feeds lust. When an artist looks at a nude figure, they look at them not as a sex object, but as a piece of art itself, created by God, the master artist. The body is admired as a thing of beauty. There is something very pure about observing a nude model in this manner. (I must note here that a figure can and is often found to be more erotic when clothed then when they are seen in the nude). If you have seen some of the people I have drawn, you would know that lust is not a problem, and yet, as I drew them, I still saw every one of them as a thing of beauty.

I would like to say that all artists experience drawing nude models the same way I do, but I cannot speak for us all. So to those artists who see nude model drawing as a temptation that provokes their lust, then I would say, either deal with the issue first or avoid using nude models all together. And to the non-artists, I ask that you do not stereotype artists or ridicule them for making use of an available and necessary resource.

I suppose one could use a mirror and them self as a model. But it is quite problematic to attempt to draw yourself from all angles and even more impossible to take on any of all the body types as well as become either male or female upon request. For the artist, using a model is a much more desirable and practical option. So if you are in opposition to the use of live nude models, please listen before you speak and have a mind open enough not to be judgemental when an artist chooses to learn by using a nude model, or uses nudity to express something.