Live models
In the history of Western art, live models were the most commonly used tool to hone and perfect the artist's drawing skills. Since the Renaissance, the study of the human body has represented one of the basic exercises for all painters and sculptors. In the 19th Century live models occupied a central place in the studios attended by numerous students. The models hired for these exercises were professionals, and they were often foreign, like the young Polish man hired by David. The professor chose a particular pose which the model had to hold for several weeks in order to allow the master to instruct a particular technique.
For female models, life was not easy at that time. Often considered women of questionable virtue, they did not enjoy the same respectability as their male counterparts. The masculine figure was considered superior to a woman's and this remained the case in academic painting throughout the 19th century. Female models were sometimes also muse or mistress to an artist, merging with and sometimes enhancing the images represented in the works, like Galatee for the artist, Pygmalion.
