The naked truth

      
By Julianna Edwards
   Argonaut Staff

      
Beverly Williamson's
      sketch, represented at right in a photo, is an example of art
      benefitting from nude models. 

      
  

      
Many
      have seen posters on the UI campus advertising 10 dollars an
      hour for models willing to pose nude for art classes. However,
      according to Katy Cannon, an art student who has sketched several
      nude art models.

      


      "Not very many people have an accurate perspective of the
      program," Cannon said.  

      


      One common misperception is that just because the models are
      nude, there must be something sexual going on. 

      


      "Being naked doesn't imply sex. Nudity is a physical state.
      If you want to be sexual you can be nude or clothed," Cannon
      said.

      Art student Beverly Williamson, describes the difference between
      posing nude for an art class and posing nude for a pornographic
      magazine as the intent of the model. 

      


      "The art models are there to help us understand human anatomy,
      not arouse anything sexual," said Willamson.

      


      Willamson feels that her experience sketching the models has
      improved her artistic skills drastically. Willamson displayed
      a portrait of a ballerina she had drawn from a photo. She pointed
      out the flatness and lack of depth in the drawing. Then she showed
      a portrait she had sketched of one of the nude art models. The
      figure in the sketch stood out, displaying more dimension and
      realism. "The more you know about the intricacies of the
      body, the better you can draw it," said Willamson. 

      


      Art student Katy Cannon could not think of any subject more difficult
      to draw than the human body. Canon said, "You really have
      to carefully study a human to be able to draw them, and there
      are not a lot of people willing to be examined for the sake of
      other people. It's a service."  

      


      The benefits of the modeling program also extend to the actual
      models themselves.  Former UI student and nude art model Jessie
      Faulkner, found the experience to be positive for her self-image.
      After recovering from bulimia, Faulkner challenged herself to
      continue improving her body image. Faulkner was 21 when she began
      posing nude for a UI community enrichment art class. 

      


      "Modeling seemed like an avenue of growth for me,"
      said Faulkner. 

      


      Faulkner began her struggle to overcome bulimia in 1997 after
      receiving a letter from her little sister who revealed that she
      also had an eating disorder. 

      


      "I knew that she had learned that behavior from me, and
      it broke my heart that as her role model I had taught her something
      so self-destructive," said Faulkner.  

      


      The letter gave Faulkner the motivation she needed to battle
      her bulimia. Faulkner looked to nude modeling as a way to improve
      her self-image. After modeling, Faulkner felt more confident
      and didn't worry as much about being a certain weight. "Seeing
      the drawings of myself showed me that some things I thought were
      flaws in my body, like my hips, were actually rather pretty."
       

      


      UI student and former nude model Rochelle Collins also found
      the class to be a positive experience for self-growth. Collins
      said, "[Modeling] boosts your confidence because you realize,
      'Wow, I don't have anything to be ashamed of.'" Before modeling
      at UI, Collins had modeled for a car magazine and a few department
      stores. 

      


      Collins found posing nude for art classes to be more supportive
      to one's individual self-image than commercial modeling. 

      


      "In modeling for the commercial industry there is only one
      standard, and everyone is supposed to fit into that mold. However,
      only a few people in the world can, and they are super models.
      

      


      Figure modeling is not about fitting into one standard, it's
      about being raw and natural," said Collins. Collins emphasized
      that people shouldn't feel they can't be a nude model because
      they look a certain way. 

      


      "The art department tries to recruit people of different
      sizes, ages and backgrounds, because we don't want our artists
      to only be able to draw one type of figure," art professor
      George Wray said. 
 

      
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