The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-15
IN THE LIFE" SCHOOL.
DRAWING FROM THE NUDE MODEL
AT THE ART MUSEUM.
An Hour with Young Boston Artists
The Hard Work of Posing as Model
How the Students Work
Progresses.
boston Transcript. !

boston Transcript.
Rising midway of the room back to the
screen wall is an anphitheatre, the seats
ranging tier above tier and so situated as
to give an uninterrupted view. from any
point of the semi circle, of the posing
model. The windows which. when the
room was devoted to its Original pIrpose
gave it light. are covered with shades or
green cloth Elevated boldly from the
ceiling is a sharply pi' ched SkyllSht,
through which one catches gllmpses OF
the clear blue of the heavens Below IL
are hanging screens, b. the movement OF
which the volume sand direction OF the
light are governed Gated at points OF
vantage in the amphitheatre are hall
dozen young men, in their shirt sleeves or
wearing busters or summer sacks. Crayon
in hand, they work busily, glancing from
the model to the sheet of paper on the
easel before them, and back again to the
model, as they patigntly compare their
copy with the original.
The latter is the object of interest to
the visitor. The firmness of the pose, the
mingled steadiness and ease that charac-
teriZe it, show the professional. By the
time that the visitor has noted these few
details of the scene, he has become very
sensible of the high temperature main
tain in the room. Nor is he, equipped as
he is in ordinary street dress minus the
overcoat the only one who feels that the
heat is trying The nude model is in
recumbent position, his left arm bent
under his head, and the weight of his
body resting on his right side. He is
raised above the floor on rude wooden
platform with supporters for his head and
Shoulders The platform is covered with
mattress rugs, and has the appearance of
having been started by some cabinet
maker WHO intended to make a solid
wooden sofa, and then chumped it Off
short and left it nondescript fit for no
other use than that to which it is at pres
ent devoted
Abandoning his pose for a moment, the
model turns to the thermometer lying on
registers 81 degrees. Opines that a brief
rest would do him good The instructor
concurring, he Jumps from his couch to
the floor and takes le:surely stroll about
the room, glanCing at the portraits of
himself very much as Adam might have
done had art entered den. The model
is young man of good muscular devel-
ment, fulfilling the requirement of firm
ness of flesh without hardness, and withal
of handsome shape Tested by this prom
enade, which has the good effect Of linn
bering the muscles stiffened by long pos
ing, he skips gayly back to his wooden
couch and resumes his former position.
The fatigue that posing occasions is
something hardly to be realized by those
whose ideas of it are gained from expert
ences at the photographers or from
taking an attitude for some sketching
friend. Frequent rests counteract in
some degree the fatigue of posing, but
the physical strength necessary to endure
it is not so common as is generally sup
posed, and is one of the first require
ments Without it the fine form and in
telligent appreciation of effect are of no
avail to the would be model, and are sim
ply tantalizing to the artist, who can
scarcely compose himself for his work be-
fore the artist discompOses everything by
yielding to fatigue, either changing posi-
for one more comfortable, or demanding
q rest.
The difficulties to be encountered in
mastering the art of posing should be I'M
derstood by all who enter upon it for a
living. At the present time, when many
young people-driven from regular work
by dull times or deprived of spending
money they have hitherto enjoyed-are
seeking employment as models, under the
impression that if it is not very lucrative
it is easy, warnings of the trials it involves
should not pass unheeded.
To return to class work, the students
work away with persistence and indus
try which gives the visitor realizing
sense of the laborious nature of the artists
apprenticeship Professor Grundmann
moves from easel to easel, pointing out to
the student errors that need correction;
here an arm too meagre, there a
shade is a trifle too heavy; here again the
light has not been caught and fixed ex-
actly as it should be. Quietly the work
goes on, interrupted only by the ticking
of the clock, the half-whispered instruc-
tions of the professor, and the soft sweep
of crayons over papers
Gradually the time passes until the hour
given up to the lesson has expired Then
the model jumps down from his couch,
stretches himself YEARLY for an instant
and dives behind the screen which serves
as a robing-room. The class group them.
selves about the professor for chat on
their labors, and gradually drop away
after packing Up their impedimenta By
this time the model has dressed and
energies from behind the screen trinity
dressed and trig young fellow, whose sup
pie strength shows itself in his move