S/O Drawing n*des in art class

[Teachin'Mine]

The other thread got me thinking about something that's been on my mind. I've gone through books with classical art since my daughter was very young, so she's used to seeing nudes in art. But what I'm wondering about is taking a college drawing or painting class and having live models. I remember taking a summer college course on drawing, and I was quite shocked that it involved way more than fruit. :lol:

 

I think my dd could handle a female model just fine, but from what I've been seeing, it's not at all unusual for males to be used. Any thoughts on this for being appropriate for a high schooler?

[fairfarmhand]

Do you think a real live naked man would embarrass her? It would me and I am 30.

 

 

I know I'm revealing what a prude I am.....

Edited May 20, 2010 by fairfarmhand

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I don't think it would be a problem. It is a part of art. Do YOU think your daughter would have a problem with it? Are you worried about her seeing a penis? I think that when nudity is presented like THIS that it takes a lot of the mystique away.

[Orthodox6]

Would not be allowed in our family. No modeling, no viewing, no such coursework. That is for any age.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Orthodox6

[JenC3]

It depends on skill level for me and if she is actually passionate about pursuing art. As a casual extracurricular, no, but as a real advancement in a student's training, yes. At 13, it would need to be necessary for her training.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I was trying to figure out how to say this in my last post.....

 

 

As far as *I* am concerned there is nothing inherently sexual about a man standing there with a flaccid penis. It just doesn't look sexual, kwim?

 

I think of it like: When I'm coming out of the shower (shudder) I doubt that most people would think that I am trying to be alluring. Now, later when I pose a certain way, cover certain spots and toss my hair over one shoulder and give dh The Look....now THAT is different! ;)

 

 

ETA: Uh, weird. I just realized that I put our dog's picture as my avatar. Ok, pretend a HUMAN just said all of that!

[fivetails]

Do you think a real live naked man would embarrass her? It would me and I am 30.

 

 

Yeah I don't think I'd be comfortable in a class like that - and I'm 33.

 

I'm not saying there's anything *wrong* with nude drawing/etc in the context of art - just that I wouldn't be comfortable with it..

[Mergath]

Finding all naked bodies inherently sexual is a cultural thing. If your dd has been looking at pictures of nudes for awhile, I would think that drawing nudes from a live model would be a good step towards teaching her to appreciate the beauty of the human body, while also demonstrating that nudity does not automatically equate sexuality.

[Purpledaizy]

It depends on skill level for me and if she is actually passionate about pursuing art. As a casual extracurricular, no, but as a real advancement in a student's training, yes. At 13, it would need to be necessary for her training.

 

:iagree:

 

I had a friend whose daughter was a serious art student at 15. She had some misgivings about about taking a nudes class with male models. She really wanted to take the class, but was concerned about blushing from the shock factor of seeing adult men without clothes for the first time. Her mom got some national geographic/anthropology based pics of men and they spent time looking at them together before going into the class. It really helped alleviate her initial discomfort.

[Ellie]

My dd and I took a life drawing class, which had both male and female nude models. She was 14. We both did fine.

[Alessandra]

Personally, I would have some doubts. When I see student life drawing shows, I find the close ups of women with their legs apart -- way apart -- can be embarrassing in a way that male nudes are not. Oh, for a fig leaf sometimes!

 

You could always look at drawings from past years and see what is/is not shown, close up vs seen from a distance.

[HRAAB]

It would be okay with us (the parents) if it was okay with my dd. If she was uncomfortable with it, then maybe she might want to delay the class for awhile. Of course, it's nothing that's hidden away in our house. My 10 yr old dd's detailed drawing of Michelangelo's David were proudly displayed on our refrigerator. :001_smile: Anyway, it would be her comfort level I would be worried about. I wouldn't push it, but I wouldn't prohibit it.

[Momling]

I took a bunch of art classes in college and find that you get over it pretty quickly. I wouldn't be bothered by a teenager interested in art to take a drawing class or a teenager interested in biology to take an anatomy class... It's academics, not p0rn.

[kalanamak]

Her mom got some national geographic/anthropology based pics of men and they spent time looking at them together before going into the class. It really helped alleviate her initial discomfort.

 

Bright idea. Reminds me of the movie Prospero's Book, everyone but 3, I think, people in it are buck naked, and after the first 5 minutes you don't even notice it any more. John Gielgud had a bit of drape, and really, his nudity was conspicuous by its absence. (I thought the screen play was slightly weak, but the whole movie is beautiful, clever scene after beautiful, amazing scene, and anyone interested in visual arts would be entranced.)

[G5052]

I work for a state community college system, and there is no state-wide policy for this. Some campuses have draped models, and some are "as-is."

 

I have to laugh because the college I work for now is advertising for summer models, and they note that the pay is "based on education and experience" ;).

[FriedClams]

Would not be allowed in our family. No modeling, no viewing, no such coursework. That is for any age.

 

 

That would be our stance as well.

[lovemyboys]

The other thread got me thinking about something that's been on my mind. I've gone through books with classical art since my daughter was very young' date=' so she's used to seeing nudes in art. But what I'm wondering about is taking a college drawing or painting class and having live models. I remember taking a summer college course on drawing, and I was quite shocked that it involved way more than fruit. :lol:

 

I think my dd could handle a female model just fine, but from what I've been seeing, it's not at all unusual for males to be used. Any thoughts on this for being appropriate for a high schooler?[/quote']

 

 

Your tag line says dd is 13, is this the student in question?

 

If so, yes, I think (yours might be the exception) that most early teen girls would have a difficult time handling this.

 

In reality, it's not a big deal. Similar to an operating room, in an art studio with a paid model, the atmosphere is very professional. The model is mostly robed except for the poses. There's usually a quick series for warm-up sketches, then increasingly longer poses, in between each the model dons a robe. Posing is tough and takes concentration and the artists/students are there to produce good sketches and improve skills and knowledge of the body and kinesiology.

 

Ime, the ratio of female to male models has been something like 10:1 (particularly in any community college setting for some reason), so perhaps it won't come up much.

 

good luck :001_smile:

[AngieW in Texas]

My dd handled it just fine in her cc drawing class, but she was 17yo. She wouldn't have been able to deal with it at 13yo.

[radiobrain]

Well, my husband teaches an adult drawing class and he uses clothed models.

 

Also, you might want to get an art book with n*de photos of models posing for a start. My husband has a lot of them. He uses them for reference when needing to work on a certain pose in one of his works. It is like having a tiny model in your house. You can probably find these at an art store (especially if there is a college in town) or online.

 

The nude body is no big deal unless you make it one, however, at 13... it is generally a big deal, unless you make a point to NOT make it one. Funny.

[Teachin'Mine]

Wow - thank you so much for all the input. Honestly, I forgot I started this thread, so I've just now seen the replies. It would be for dd 13 - I don't have a class in mind, but she's a serious artist and I thought it would be great for her to take a drawing class. I'll come back to this a little later when I have more time to reply. Thank you so much for the feedback! :)