"Good morning. They're among the "blue-collar workers of the arts," one figure-drawing model told Hyperallergic Staff Writer Isa Farfan, describing long days of holding difficult poses that are a feat of physical and mental strength. Yet, in many cases, art models can barely make ends meet. Farfan's featured story today is a deep dive into the often undervalued profession and how its practitioners, often artists themselves, are taking matters into their own hands to fight for higher pay and recognition."
"Anyone who's been to art school - and even those of us who simply dabble - is familiar with the dynamics of a live figure drawing class: Students sit back and draw during timed segments while a hired model, often nude, maintains postures that help the artists sharpen their grasp of the human body. But I bet most of us know very little about art modeling as a career, and even less about the challenges it entails."
Art models endure long days holding difficult poses that demand physical and mental strength, yet many can barely make ends meet. Some practitioners organize collectively, forming a coalition at the Art Students League of New York to advocate for better wages and working conditions. Visual trends like "Crusadercore" signal troubling online far-right aesthetics. Close readings of Vanity Fair photos of Trump officials reveal layered visual signifiers and power dynamics. Documentation of 2025 funding cuts and threats to artistic freedom shows increasing political pressure on cultural institutions and artistic practice.
Read at Hyperallergic
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