Cormier was unfazed by the vulnerability of the job, going as far as to describe the gig as “funny.”įor Cartwright, the valiant nature of figure modeling has inspired him to harness confidence in other areas of his life. For him, figure modeling is merely a low commitment source of income. Trey Cormier ’23, on the other hand, chooses not to look at the student artwork. Morton even went so far to say that modeling has made her “romanticize” her body in a way she hadn’t before. The art itself is beautiful, so when the art is your body that appreciation extends.” “But when you are looking at somebody’s art you can’t look at it in such a harsh way. “A lot of times when we look at our bodies we view them under this extremely harsh, critical lens, especially in pictures or the mirror,” Morton said. He said his experience as a figure model has given him a heightened appreciation for art.Īs a result of looking at student art, Morton said she sees her body through a much different, healthier perspective. Other times it’s more of an interpretation of what I look like,” Cartwright said. “Sometimes it feels to me like I’m looking in a mirror, which is really surreal. The variety and individuality of student artwork fascinates Cartwright. For Morton and Cartwright, viewing student artwork is their favorite part of the job. Whether the model chooses to look at each artist’s depiction of their body is up to them. “It’s a collaboration, and you see it when it happens. Professor Auten said he believes that the role of the figure model, while often written off as easy, is as important as the role of the artist. That takes real skill,” Auten said.Īlthough there is minimal interaction between the figure model and the artist, the relationship between the two is vital. They don’t talk to the students and they don't move around and look at everybody. With a really great model it’s almost like you are drawing a bottle. Studio art professor Gerald Auten ascribes invisibility as the key to success in figure modeling. “I just got lost in my thoughts and then it wasn’t nerve racking anymore.” “I was really nervous beforehand, but the fact that all I had to do was sit and stare off at a point on the wall made me forget that I was even doing it,” Cartwright said. However, once Cartwright started posing the nervousness subsided. The first time Jonathan Cartwright ’24 was booked to model, he recalls feeling so nervous he could barely focus on his schoolwork beforehand. “People were not laughing or anything like that.” “Everyone treated it very professionally and it wasn’t awkward,” Barnes said. Mallory Barnes ’22, a student in SART 15, “Drawing I,” reflected on this aura of professionalism. People really just look at you as a subject for their art. In Morton’s experience, the art department goes out of their way to ensure that each model feels comfortable and safe. It requires emailing the art department and inquiring into availability, no audition necessary. Models are instructed to do one reclined pose and one seated, with the job wrapping up in just under two hours. The posing occurs in intervals of twenty to forty minutes, with breaks as needed. Welcome to the art of figure modeling, where you get paid twenty dollars an hour to lend your body as the subject of peer artwork.Īs far as the logistics of the gig go, Afton Morton ’24, who began figure modeling this term, described the process as both “clinical” and “professional.” Figure models enter the visual arts center, change into a robe, enter a classroom, and remove the robe to pose. For a select group of Dartmouth student figure models, it is merely an on-campus job. Your Dartmouth peers are staring at your unimposed body, making observations and scribbling sketches. Envision this, you are perched in the middle of a classroom.
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