In the workshops of painters or sculptors, in addition to the creators themselves and various accessories for creating works of art, there are often models.
This collection is dedicated to the process of working on a work of art: creating a sculpture, painting, sketch. Dedicated to the artist and the human body, which has been a source of inspiration for centuries.
(Total 20 photos)
Post sponsor: Bodum tableware: In the collection of our online store, we include only famous and trusted brands - BODUM, MELIOR, PREMIER HOUSEWARES, RITZENHOFF & BREKER, ZYLISS, COLE & MASON, BEKA, SOLUS.
1. American artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) and his model, 1951 The most famous of all his works were those that combined elements of painting and sculpture and were created in the 1950s. (Wallace Kirkland-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
2. A group of students art school Farnsworth painting from life, 1946. (Andreas Feininger-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
3. American artist Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) works on the painting "Persephone" (also known as "The Rape of Persephone") in his studio in Kansas City, Missouri, 1939. The model is one of his students, a student at the Kansas City Art Institute. Strong influence the work of Benton, an adherent of regionalism, was rendered by El Greco. (Alfred Eisenstaedt-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
4. Thomas Hart Benton) is working on the painting "Persephone". In the late 1930s, he published an autobiographical book, which was highly appreciated by the laureate Nobel Prize novelist Sinclair Lewis: "Here is a rare phenomenon - an artist who knows how to write." (Alfred Eisenstaedt-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
5. Students at the Skowhegen Art School, Maine, sketch from life, 1948. As the poet William Blake said, "art cannot exist without naked beauty." (Eliot Elisofon-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
6. Jean Negulesco (1900-1993) paints a portrait of a model in a studio in Hollywood. Today he is known as a screenwriter famous movies 1940-1960s, but his first love and lifelong love was painting. (Jerry Cooke-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
7. Moses Sawyer (1899-1974) working in a studio in Greenwich Village, 1960. Born in Russia and raised in the Bronx, Sawyer has embraced realism all his life, rejecting newfangled trends. (Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
8. David Fredenthal (1914-1958) sketches, 1948. (Gjon Mili-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
9. German surrealist Fabius von Gugel (1910 -2000) in Rome. (Jack Birns-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
10. Model Doris Fisher on a smoke break during classes at an art school in Ox Bow, Michigan, 1946. (Loomis Dean-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
11. Students from the University of Iowa in class, 1961. (Alfred Eisenstaedt-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
12. Sculptor Chaim Gross (1904-1991) in the studio, 1942. Born in Austria, he moved to the USA in 1921 and became one of the most famous wood carvers. (Eliot Elisofon-Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)
13. Artists paint from nature, California, 1959. (J. R. Eyerman-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
14. Model against the background of cacti and an artist with arthritis, 1948. (Alfred Eisenstaedt-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
15. Students at the Skowhigen Art School, Maine, sketch from life, 1948. (Gjon Mili-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)18. Nude woman posing for artist Fletcher Martin, 1940 (Peter Stackpole-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
19. Self portrait Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978). Critic Robert Hughes wrote about him: "It's no secret that de Chirico was a poet, and a great poet." Hughes did not write a word about the paintings.
20. Henri Matisse (1869-1954) sculpts a nude woman while lying in bed in his apartment, 1951. (Dmitri Kessel-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
Alena Zhukova is a young artist who knows not only the peculiarities of her work, but also the complexities of the person on the other side of the easel - the sitter. When she was a student, Alena herself repeatedly posed for colleagues, which she tells our correspondent about.
- Alena, is it difficult to be a model?
If you can calmly be in one position (sometimes quite sophisticated), then it will be easy for you. But for some people it is very difficult to sit in one place, and yet you have to pose for hours.
- Do the artists give away their sketches with your image?
See what case. If you work part-time at the university - at the department of drawing and painting - then you can agree with the students. There are a lot of educational works, there is nowhere to store them, but it is a pity to throw them away. Therefore, student artists can happily donate after viewing. If you pose for professional artist Again, we need to negotiate. But the artists themselves are usually not very busy with the question “Should I give sketches to my sitter?”
- How much does an hour of a sitter's work cost today?
Depending on where, everyone has a different payment, it depends on the place and complexity of posing. Approximately from 50 rubles / hour, maybe for beginners and higher. Professionals have a bill in the thousands. Nudity is always more expensive anyway.
- Have you ever posed naked? Was there any embarrassment (if so, how did you overcome it?)
She was semi-nude. The main one is covered. But it was still a university, and I had to pose for my classmates in front of their own teachers. But seriously, with decent pay, one could pose. Here constraint, if it happens, then the first half hour, then quickly turns into routine.
- Should the sitter be handsome? What models are in high esteem today?
Different models are needed - for different plots and paintings. And if a person’s muscles, ligaments, bones are clearly visible, then this is much better when academic drawing and painting - it's easier to draw. Beauty is not important. Important type. Every artist looks for the traits that he needs in the sitter: beauty or ugliness, young or old body.
- Do sitters have an occupational disease?
Occupational diseases are chronic sleepiness at work, and yes, the whole body sometimes becomes numb. It hurts both the neck and various limbs - depending on what the emphasis is on when setting. In any case, it's not easy not to move for so long.
- Did you express your dissatisfaction if you did not like the result of the work?
It is better not to express your opinion on the work of the sitters. Positive is possible, if you really want to, and if it’s negative, then you won’t be called to work anymore. There is no need to offend artists - they are all choleric about their work, they can easily get angry. Maybe you don’t really understand anything, but a masterpiece is drawn! And yes, no one usually asks for the sitter's opinion, the sitter is needed for posing, and not for criticism.
A naked man of retirement age, sitting thoughtfully on a plaster cube, a half-naked girl with a plate of fruit, as if frozen in a dance. Such "living statues" can be found in any university where fine arts are studied. In winter and summer, in the heat and in the bitter cold, despite stiff muscles and overcoming pain, sitters work for the benefit of art. Perhaps in a few years, portraits of these "professional muses" will appear in famous museums, but for now, in between couples, they knead their stiff limbs and drink tea.
The profession of a sitter is one of the oldest, she is the same age as ancient art. in many Western European academies visual arts To become a model, you need to pass a competitive selection. In the Soviet Union, as well as in modern Russia, the profession of "demonstrator of plastic poses" has never belonged to the category of prestigious and highly paid. Therefore, due to the shortage of personnel, sitters accept everyone: from students to pensioners, regardless of external data.
The roads that take them
The roads leading to the temple of art are different for everyone: someone is pushed to this path by a difficult financial situation, for others it is a way of self-realization, for others it is driven by love for art, narcissism, or, conversely, a desire to get rid of complexes. Accordingly, someone process is more important, for someone the result, and for someone - the financial side of the issue.
AT different time sitters worked such famous people like madonna, Hollywood actor Sean Connery, writer Maria Arbatova, rock musician, leader of the Alisa band Konstantin Kinchev.
Naked nature against "acute financial insufficiency"
However, it is rare that any of the sitters in the work book flaunts the entry “demonstrator of plastic poses”, basically this is still a part-time job. Nina Ivanovna from Ukraine (she asked not to specify her last name) became a model unexpectedly for herself after her retirement. First, a woman washed the floors in art school, and once she was asked to pose for students: “For a long time they persuaded, and I nevertheless agreed, good people why not help. And now, for the fourth year in a row, I have been posing several times a week in the morning.” True, Nina Ivanovna admits, work is “not sugar”, it is very difficult to stand motionless in one position. Occupational diseases sitters - osteochondrosis and varicose veins, after three hours posing (an academic hour of 45 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break), the feeling is as if you were "beaten for a long time - everything hurts." But with her small pension, every penny is worth it. Nina Ivanovna posed nude only a couple of times, mostly works in clothes, and she no longer agrees to work standing up: “it’s hard, and the age is still not the same.”
Principal nudity
Dmitry Solntsev from Moscow, a graduate of the Romano-Germanic department of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, has been posing for twelve years. Dmitry has a main job, but he also has time for his favorite hobby: he poses in Moscow in private studios, circles and in Stroganovka: “The fact is that I only pose in full nudity, in Stroganovka this is allowed, but in others educational institutions, for example, in Surikov, there is some hypocrisy in this matter and they are not allowed to pose naked.
In fact, men, in view of the peculiarities of anatomy and the physiological processes associated with them, just pose mostly in flesh-colored thongs with gel fasteners on the sides, which creates a feeling nudity and reliably hides everything that can distract artists from the creative process.
However, for Dmitry this is a matter of principle, he tried to pose dressed, but he didn’t like the process “somehow uncomfortable and constantly hot”, in swimming trunks “it’s also uncomfortable, it tightens everything”. So the young man found his calling in "helping students, applicants and artists study human anatomy." He poses mainly for sketches for 5-15 minutes, more difficult: “Whatever position you are in, even in the most comfortable, even if you lie down, after twenty minutes everything still numbs.” As a sitter, according to Dmitry, you won’t earn much, they pay an average of 200 to 400 rubles per hour, rarely anyone can stand more than three hours a day, and work doesn’t happen every day. But he does this not for the sake of money, but solely for the soul, this is his personal "life in art."
born muse
Petersburger Alyona Rafael has been posing for drawing and sculpture for eight years. Alena began to pose for her friend, who studied at Mukhinsky in Moscow. He needed a model, and he offered her a job. I had to pose nude. Before that, the girl had already worked as a model, but only for photos and in clothes. But in order to be completely naked, Alena had no problems. The girl admits that it was natural for her to pose in the workshop, as she got used to the environment. creative people: “I liked the process for its independence, artistry and that amazing feeling when you seem to feel the touch of the artist’s hands on the skin when he draws me. For me, this is both a hobby, and art, and a certain way of life that brings income.
Who knows…
No one knows how history will go down in 2012: as the year of the Olympics in London or the failed end of the world. Or like the year when Spain became the European champion for the second time in a row, and the artist N painted his iconic painting X, for which the extravagant model Z or one of the most famous models of the 21st century, the unforgettable Y, posed for him.
Perhaps you have always dreamed of becoming a model, or maybe you urgently need money. In any case, working as a model or sitter is an easy way to earn money.
All you have to do is stand or sit for a few hours in front of the students or the artist.
Sitter's work
Drawing human figure it is one of the main forms of artistic expression. BUT The best way master this? Of course practice with a live model.
Therefore, artists and students are always looking for people willing to work as living models. Since it would be a little strange to see a naked classmate in this role, everyone is looking for models on the side.
Is it always necessary to strip naked?
It depends on the requirements of the artist. Often a nature in a suit is required or you need to undress to the waist. If you do decide to pose naked, you will be asked to undress in another room (or behind a curtain) and put on a bathrobe.
Then, you will need to stand on a raised platform and undress. The teacher may ask you to sit or stand in a certain way, but you will usually have the freedom to choose your position. Get comfortable, because you will have to spend a lot of time in this position (usually 20 to 30 minutes)!
At first, standing naked in front of everyone will be unusual. But if you pose for art class, you will quickly realize that the students are there to draw, not to stare at you.
If you feel uncomfortable, just ask to keep some underwear. Of course, the teacher would prefer that you be completely naked, but some of them may allow you to remain partially clothed until you are comfortable.
Finally, don't worry if your figure is not like that of real models. This is not a catalog of swimwear, this is art. Students will be happy to practice drawing human body in all his various forms and sizes.
Where to find a job for a sitter
Contact art schools, colleges, private and public universities In your city. Also check out the local art galleries And studio.
On the Internet you can find many job offers:
models.artmir.ru poster board for sitters
artrussian.com/sitters.hte free placement of a professional portfolio for job search for sitters
vk.com/mosmodel VKontakte group for Moscow sitters
vk.com/natura_v_spb Vkontakte group for sitters of St. Petersburg
Once you have found an employer, be sure to ask them the following questions:
- How many students will be in the class?
- How long will I have to spend in each position?
- Will I be able to take breaks between posing?
- How much will I be paid? And when?
How much do sitters get paid?
It all depends on experience and where you work. Usually the price starts from 150 rubles per academic hour. They pay more for nudity.
Useful articles
12. Sculptor Chaim Gross (1904-1991) in the studio, 1942. Born in Austria, he moved to the USA in 1921 and became one of the most famous wood carvers. (Eliot Elisofon-Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)
13. Artists paint from nature, California, 1959. (J. R. Eyerman-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
14. Model against the background of cacti and an artist with arthritis, 1948. (Alfred Eisenstaedt-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
15. Students at the Skowhigen Art School, Maine, sketch from life, 1948. (Gjon Mili-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
16. The artist draws a poster for the film "Naked Macha", 1958. (Bill Bridges-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
17. Sculptor Chaim Gross makes a sketch, 1942. (Eliot Elisofon-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
18. Nude woman posing for the artist Fletcher Martin, 1940. (Peter Stackpole-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
19. Self-portrait of the Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978). Critic Robert Hughes wrote about him: "It's no secret that de Chirico was a poet, and a great poet." Hughes did not write a word about the paintings.
20. Henri Matisse (1869-1954) sculpts a nude woman while lying in bed in his apartment, 1951. (Dmitri Kessel-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
