Nude Awakenings

Students shed clothes in name of art

Standing completely naked before the scrutinizing eyes of 20 fellow classmates may seem like a nightmare, but, believe it or not, some JMU students are baring it all willingly — in the name of art.

Nude models have been used as the focal point of art for thousands of years. When it comes to stripping down, however, most people are a little squeamish. Still, some students are able to muster up the courage to work as nude models for JMU’s art classes.

Senior Andy Hucks and sophomore Dana Biedrzycki are two of the brave souls who pose nude for their peers. Students are paid $9 an hour for sessions that typically last between one and three and a half hours. Biedrzycki, however, said the money was not a factor in her decision to model. Instead, she viewed it more as a chance to prove to herself she was comfortable with her body.

"I know I don’t have a perfect body," Biedrzycki said. "But I thought I might be interesting to draw."

According to art professor Ken Szmagaj, having an ideal body isn’t necessary for being a model. "It isn’t about glamour or fashion — we need people of all body types," Szmagaj said. "It’s not about what is traditionally supposed to be beautiful."

Sophomore art major Kristin Miller agrees. "If you are comfortable with your body, then you will be beautiful," she said. "Every body is beautiful when put into art."

Hucks, who has modeled more than a dozen times for various art classes, thinks students are overly self-conscious of their bodies in general. "So much importance is placed on how you look and what people think of you," he said.

While both Hucks and Biedrzycki admitted to being jittery before stripping down in front of a room filled with their peers, they said that the students are serious artists and are more preoccupied with the quality of their work than the fact that the models are naked. "Obviously, kids in an art class are going to be a lot more forgiving than if you were standing naked in front of a GCOM class," says Hucks.

However, Biedrzycki did acknowledge that there were a few awkward moments — including running into some of the artists around campus. "I modeled on a Wednesday and I swear, that Friday I ran into one of the guys [from the class] at a party," she said.

The two models also had to deal with the reactions of friends and family. Many were incredulous as to why anyone would voluntarily stand naked in front of a classroom. Hucks, who opted not to tell his parents about his modeling endeavors said, "I have some friends who have been understanding, but others just laugh."

In addition to overcoming personal insecurities and occasionally battling negative reactions from friends, modeling is not easy work. Standing in one position for 30 minutes is more difficult than it appears.

Professor Szmagaj said he has even seen models faint. "Sometimes inexperienced models will get too rigid and it cuts down on their circulation," he said. "Then they get dizzy and faint."

Every attempt is made to make models feel comfortable, according to graduate assistant David Bascom (’99), who is in charge of handling the models for the figure drawing classes. Bascom said a space heater is provided for models who get cold, and models are encouraged to take breaks whenever they need to. Prospective models who may be a little nervous can even sit in on a class to get an idea of what the process is like.

One issue that models don’t have to be concerned with is the maturity and seriousness of the art students. "Everyone was really respectful," Biedrzycki said. Both Biedrzycki and Hucks said knowing they were helping the students improve their art skills was important to them.

"I wasn’t just doing it to be naked," Biedrzycki said. "I was doing it to help them."

Szmagaj stresses that figure drawing is important for every artist to learn, no matter what medium they eventually choose to focus on, "Drawing a life form and dealing with the fact that the figure has structure, has movement and feeling provides the ultimate drawing challenge."

In society today, the nude human figure can be viewed with bashfulness or as an object of lust, but it is rarely portrayed as a work of art — a complex yet fundamental integration of muscle, skin and tissue.