Merrel here:
Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus is one of the most well known paintings in Western Art, easily recognizable to the general populace. It has been considered the ideal representation of female beauty for over 500 years.
Then how is it that a model, who became a figure so central to the Western perception of physical beauty and spiritual perfection, is relegated to a footnote in textbooks?
While it has long been believed that the likely identity of Venus was Simonetta Vespucci, the model for this masterpiece has been relegated to anonymity. The same can be said for the models in great works of art such as Francisco de Goya’s La Maja Desnuda, Amedeo Modigliani’s The Red Nude and Gustav Klimt’s Danaé to name a few.
The Birth of Venus (1482–1486)
Even when the history of a model is known, the true social identity of the model is lost and often replaced by cultural stereotypes.
In many respects, what we as artists (and consumers of art) identify as a the definition of a model saw its origination and redefinition in Paris during the mid-to-late 1800’s. In her book, The Invention of the Model: Artists and Models in Paris, 1830-1870, (Which can be read in full on Google Books) Susan Waller attempts to illuminate what she calls the “collective body of models”. The social identity of models, and resulting stereotype, came into focus during this time.
Granted, the mystery of the model can add some allure to the paintings. But it also makes you wonder, what exactly was the motivation of nude models of the past and today. With that question in mind, The Washington Post published a great article last month. The article “Nude Model Stands Up (and Sits, and Reclines) for His Trade” touches the impetus of a nude modeling career.
Increasingly, models are comfortable in their own skin and treat their work and body like a commodity. Throughout the country, guilds and unions are popping up to represent career nude models. The subject of the Post article, David Quammen, started one in Washington D.C., the San Fransisco Bay Area has theirs, Philadelphia, and here in New York City .
Even so, the rewards and motivations vary greatly. Quammen didn’t begin nude modeling until he was 60 years old - stating his high threshold for pain allowed him to hold a good pose. Some model strictly for art’s sake, others are artists themselves. With a new generation of figurative artists establishing their careers, an organized movement of nude models allows them access to professional resources and disciplined models.
Though we may never know the true identities of models from some of our greatest works of art, we surely can appreciate the roles these models played in the artist’s final creation.
Catch the next installment of The Great Nude Project where we creatively reinterpret Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. It will be a fun session with a lovely, red-headed model, so stay tuned.
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