Nude modelling in India
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Fewer models willing to pose in the buff/ 2016
Kamini Mathai & Saranya Chakrapani, Where have all the NUDES GONE?, Nov 07 2016 : The Times of India
Artists, Teachers And Gallerists Say With Fewer Models Willing To Pose In The Buff, Painting And Sculpting Of The Naked Form Have Shifted From The Eye To The Mind
As he poses semi-nude for the students at Life & Art Acade my , V Kathick is relieved that he managed to squeeze in a workout at the gym before the session. And, of course, he can't wait for the next break when he can stretch a little.
It doesn't bother him that he is standing almost in the buff, because to him, posing is as much an art as what the artists do on canvas. “I look at it like I would at a selfie, except that it takes two hours. I work hard on maintaining my body so I don't have a problem posing,“ says Kathick, a 22-year-old content writer, who decided to become a part-time art model when artist-sculptor Dewakar Chandran, owner of the academy , explained to him that it was one of the aspects involved in the study of art.
Kathick admits it was difficult for his parents to come to terms with what he was doing, but now, after several sessions, there are no more questions. “I've slowly become more comfortable posing for the class and my parents are more understanding,“ he says. “When we started, I would pose for just face portraits. As I got comfortable, I found it easy to go semi-nude, and now, I think I am ready to pose fully nude.“ But Chandran is quick to add, “The institute is not ready for that as yet.“ He admits that while learning to draw nudes with live models is a part of art courses all over the world and in government colleges elsewhere in the country , in Chennai, the subject is almost taboo. And being a private institute, he says, bringing in nude models may be colouring too far outside the line for may be colouring too people to accept.
It seems to be the case even at Chennai's Government College of Fine Ar ts, where ever since the millennium, the concept of using nude models seems to have disappeared into the Dark Ages, with students being asked to use works of old masters such as Rembrandt, Da Vinci and Raja Ravi Varma as reference points to drawing nudes. “We cannot find people willing to pose nude,“ says the college principal D Mathialagan.
P Pandian, professor at the Government institute, says years ago nude models who were willing to pose came mostly from poor families residing near the college, and needed the extra cash. But now even they are hard to find. Art director M Jayakumar, remembers that even when he was a student at the College of Fine Arts many years ago, sometimes when models failed to show up, students would step in. “I remember an art exam where the model cancelled at the last minute. I posed nude but was asked to put on my underwear because there were girls in the class,“ he laughs. “I was not self-conscious and looked at it just as a reference point for an art class.“
Today , students at the college have to make do with old textbooks and internet images. “You would think that as society progresses people would be more openminded but it is not so,“ says Pandian, adding that his students have begun leaning towards making their nude forms more abstract or surreal.
N Subramanian, who paints nudes inspired by Pudukottai's Sittanavasal cave paintings, says the principal component of this style is the human form, so the presence of a live model lends more credence than internet images. “The colours are real, unlike the Photoshopped images online. For instance, I would use only natural light or a small source of indoor light,“ he says. But Subramanian admits that when he cannot find a model, he resorts to interpreting photographic prints.
Gallerist Sharan Apparao says there's a small market for classical academic work and nudes are a part of it. “I would welcome nude art in my gallery . But the few artists who do them today, create them as abstracts,“ she says. “In that context, nudes have shifted from the eye to the mind.“ Sharan believes the change of perception is not because artists are facing resistance, but because the form itself has evolved.
Professional models, says Sharan, are available but can charge as high as a lakh per day , which many institutions cannot afford.Pandian admits his budget for nudes is `500 a day , while Kathick gets a nominal `700.
To artists like N Ramachandran, this style thrives on the unique appeal of each model. “Painting nudes is a personal experience. Professional models may be mentally and emotionally distant while posing,“ he says.
“Sharing a connection with the artist is necessary for any form of art involving a live model. I preferred using family members or friends when I painted nudes.“
The models
Lilian D’Mello/ 2022
Petlee Peter, February 13, 2022: The Times of India
From: Petlee Peter, February 13, 2022: The Times of India
It’s 7. 30 on a Friday evening. A young woman steps into the drawing room of her home in Bengaluru where a dozen artists, palettes in hand, wait with canvases mounted on easels. She slips out of her black robe peppered with yellow flowers and settles into a pose, without inhibition. Over the next three hours she is the muse for the art students and artists, and every inch of her body is visually dissected and measured. Lilian D’Mello is a known name in creative circles in India and abroad. A former copy writer, the 25-year-old Indo-Filipino model is a much sought-after live nude model for artists, painters, sculptors and animation artists across the country, as well as online. But with her growing success have come unpleasant encounters with landlords, friends and family who equate her job to sex work. Lilian’s family was outraged at her decision and disowned her. Born to a Mangalorean father and a Filipino mother in Salalah, Oman, Lilian came to India in mid-2013 to pursue her pre-university education in a junior college in Udupi. She moved to Bengaluru in July 2015 to do her degree. “I began modelling and acting in TV commercials in college. But I was often sidelined as I was not tall and ad makers told me that I was fat. I felt uncomfortable and stopped modelling. ”
No body shaming in art
That’s when Lilian chanced upon an international art group on Facebook where she interacted with people in the group on figurative art, paintings and sculptures. “I started relating to paintings of women in their natural form and it got me thinking as to why I shouldn’t become an art model, where my body will not be judged,” she recalls. The FB group advised her to approach art schools in Bengaluru and she reached out to an animation school in Kammanahalli. The American couple who ran it made her comfortable. “My first session was in April 2018 amidst a dozen artists and students. The moment I disrobed and posed a kind of peace washed over me,” says Lilian, who is now perfectly comfortable with her body. There are no unrealistic standards of beauty to be met here.
From that evening there has been no looking back for Lilian whose weekends are packed with modelling sessions for professional and budding artists in Bengaluru. She did her copywriter job while working with artists on the weekends for nearly two years, even posing for over 100 artists at an art convention in 2019.
Battling society’s stigma
All hell broke loose when Lilian’s extended family came across an online chat session of hers with artists. “My family is pretty conservative. Relatives confronted me and asked me if I was indeed a nude model. I admitted that I was. They then gave me an ultimatum: stop modelling or leave home,” says Lilian. With nowhere to go, she crashed at her ad agency for nearly a month. Not one to be bogged down by the curveballs life has thrown at her, Lilian began to hunt for a house. She found one in West Bengaluru in early 2020. When the lockdown kicked in, Lilian decided to host online sessions for artists. “I began a session on Instagram for a closed audience. Initially it was semi-nude and then I switched to nude. My work picked up and in August 2020, I posed online for a Scottish live drawing group with 300 members,” she says.
As her name gained ground in art circles, someone found a screenshot of one of her nude portraits and sent it to her landlord. “He freaked out and lectured me on how society frowns upon a nude model. He then asked me to move out, giving me a month’s time. ” It was back to house hunting once again. Only this time it was in the midst of the raging pandemic.
With no family support, the incident left Lilian rattled and anxious. She did find a house again, but when the landlord began getting inquisitive and started asking questions as to the nature of her job, she started getting nervous.
“On the work front, I was flooded with assignments. In 2021, I decided to quit my ad job and began modelling full time. Even though it made me happy, there was always this fear of people not understanding my art and equating it to sex work. It was distressing. I had to make my Instagram profile private. I began working only with accomplished artists and studios because of the fear of being targeted and misunderstood,” Lilian explains. Frustrated at having to justify her work constantly and the looming threat of being evicted from her rented places, Lilian poured her heart out on an artists’ forum online. The support she got from Bengalureans, she says, was not just overwhelming but has also boosted her confidence. “Many offered their houses on rent. I have found one in South Bengaluru where I can stay and work without having to look over my shoulder each time I step out or if someone drops in to see me. The house owner knows the nature of my job and respects my profession,” she adds.
