Ponder This Auto-Muse, conté on paper, 1999 What | am about to propose is a radical new approach to the Model/Artist _relationship. This working relationship between "muse" and "creator" is one steeped in centuries of tradition and is, in my opinion as an artist and model, in need of a major overhaul. Many of you will have probably studied the political ramifications of this relationship, the whole male-gaze-upon-the-female-form point of view, etc. | am not going to go down that road as many others have already done a fine job of it. It is my intention to plant new seeds of thought in your / minds — knowledge is a dangerous thing when spread widely because change inevitably arrives. For those of you who work with models, be you a teacher, student or practicing artist, or are artist/models yourselves, this article is written for you. Movement Manifesto: Numerous health practitioners, from physiotherapists to massage therapists to _ kinesiologists, have advised me that it is unnatural and ultimately damaging to the human body to restrain movement. We are meant to move — even in sleep we are continually twitching, relaxing, stretching, and turning our bodies. When body parts fall asleep, in the case of models where this is a regular occurrence no matter how relaxed the pose may appear, nerve damage ensues. ~ Do you know how often | have heard complaints about the model moving? Or that the pose changes? Or that the model is taking too many breaks? Unless you are a model yourself, you cannot understand what it takes to “hold still". It is antithetical to our very being. When posing, | am constantly making minor adjustments in my body. I'm breathing which obviously creates movement throughout my entire body. According to some people, this is cause for _ annoyance because they then have to change their drawing. This is what | tell my _ students when they are first learning to render the human form: we're not - 20 e@ drawing cadavres here, folks; models are living, breathing human beings and when they move, you respond to that and change your drawing. Then it will have a sense of movement too and not look like some fucking paint-by-numbers stiffl ; E Auto-Muse When | am drawing or painting myself, | am in a state of constant motion. | hold the pose, look at it carefully, and then turn to my easel to draw. | repeat this over. and over again. When | am doing a particularly complicated and dynamic pose, the looking part becomes even more important as | have to visually absorb as much information in as short amount of time as possible — the pose is hard to hold! | spend anywhere from 6 to 15 hours on a drawing. Within that time, | may have struck the pose a 100 times or more but because | am always moving, | feel energized and rejuvenated instead of exhausted like | am when | model for other artists. The act of drawing and the actual drawing takes on this lively quality. : 2 s\. MODEL BEHAV ‘by Una Bachinski Ponder This What | am about to propose is a radical new approach to the Model/Artist ‘Auto-Muse, conté on paper, 1999 relationship. This working relationship between "muse" and "creator" is one steeped in centuries of tradition and is, in my opinion as an artist and model, in need of a major overhaul. Many of you will have probably studied the political ramifications of this relationship, the whole male-gaze-upon-the-female-form point of view, etc. | am not going to go down that road as many others have already done a fine job of it. It is my intention to plant new seeds of thought in your / minds — knowledge is a dangerous thing when spread widely because change inevitably arrives. For those of you who work with models, be you a teacher, student or practicing artist, or are artist/models yourselves, this article is written for you. ‘Movement Manifesto: Numerous health practitioners, from physiotherapists to massage therapists to kinesiologists, have advised me that itis unnatural and ultimately damaging to the human body to restrain movement, We are meant to move — even in sleep we are continually twitching, relaxing, stretching, and turning our bodies. When body parts fall asleep, in the case of models where this is a regular occurrence no matter how relaxed the pose may appear, nerve damage ensues. Do you know how often I have heard complaints about the model moving? Or that the pose changes? Or that the model is taking too many breaks? Unless you are a model yourself, you cannot understand what it takes to “hold still". Itis antithetical to our very being. When posing, | am. constantly making minor adjustments in my body. I'm breathing which obviously creates movement throughout my entire body. According to some people, this is cause for annoyance because they then have to change their drawing. This is what | tell my students when they are first learning to render the human form: we're not F @*° drawing cadavres here, folks; models are living, breathing human beings and when they move, you respond to that and change your drawing. Then it will have a sense of movement too and not look like some fucking paint-by-numbers stiff! Auto-Muse When | am drawing or painting myself, | am in a'state of constant motion. | hold the pose, look at it carefully, and then turn to my easel to draw. | repeat this over and over again. When | am doing a particularly complicated and dynamic pose, the looking part becomes even more important as | have to visually absorb as much information in as short amount of time as possible ~ the pose is hard to hold! | spend anywhere from 6 to 15 hours on a drawing. Within that time, | may have struck the pose a 100 times or more but because | am always moving, | fee! energized and rejuvenated instead of exhausted like | am when | model for other artists. The act of drawing and the actual drawing takes on this lively quality.