Why Artists Draw Naked People
The other day a friend at work asked me why artists draw so many naked people. And my response was "People like looking at people and artists are people too."
But the question kept rattling inside my head. Why do artists depict the human form so much? I'll answer this from my perspective.
Most people see the naked human body as a sexual thing. And that makes sense in our society. But once you strip that away (aren't I punny?) what you're left with is just a beautiful, dynamic living shape.
When you look at something long enough, regardless of what it is, you begin to see its beauty. And this has definitely happened to me. I started life drawing (the official artsy name for drawing naked models) in my high school art class, in grade 9 or 10. After many hundreds of hours staring at a variety of people in front of you, while falling into a kind of trance, studying how the light reflects off of them. You grow to appreciate how beautiful the human body is. How well evolution crafted this incredible machine that can move in so many different ways and that can come in so many different shapes but that follows the same basic pattern.
What makes the human form so enjoyable to draw and paint is that you're able to speak in a language that we all know on a level that's deeper than words. This all sounds very esoteric, but that's how it feels. It's the grace of a dancer or the brute force of the fighter, it's the elasticity and stability, it's the functionality and vulnerability. All of it is contained in one form right there in front of you (and is you). And when you're able to show a complex group of muscles, tendons and bone, all in one stroke, it feels like you've understood something important about the world and were able to share it. Like learning a new language or figuring out a secret code.
This love of drawing people comes out not just in my personal work but in my commercial work too. On Murdoch Mysteries, I am the person who does the police sketches of the various suspects (as of this writing). And the feedback I keep getting from my superiors is that I make people look too attractive. So I redo the illustrations to make them less so. But I think the reason I make them look attractive is because that is how I see people. They are all interesting and beautiful and it comes through in the work.
I’d like to invite you to try to look at people and yourself in this way too. When you look at yourself in the mirror, or at the person you love sitting across the room, or at some stranger walking down the street. Try to let go of the automatic stories and judgements that come up and instead focus on just the shapes you see, like maybe the light hits the curve of the nose in a pretty way, or the way a person walks has a lovely bounce to it. Try to let go of the story that your brain naturally comes up with and instead, look at what's in front of you. I guarantee you will notice things you've never noticed before.
But if when you look at a drawing or painting of a naked person and get a little giggly. That's ok too, it’s a very human response. But give it a few seconds, and wait through the awkwardness. And see what else is there.
