Nude Modeling Takes Posing and Acting to Create
For 67-year-old Dave Altieri, bare elegance means, “Be the Batman.”
Like a cartoon artist bringing the Superhero to life, he does the same with his body posing.
Altieri says the first psychology of nude art modeling is: Posing is a piece of acting. In the feature photo, his gesture pose portrays a warrior who is ready to strike his opponent. When studying the picture, “the image demonstrates several things about nude art modeling. “The confidence of being nude. Body art, acting, butt, and props.” It is no wonder Altieri, considers his warrior-like stance a theatrical performance. But there is one exception; “I don’t have lines,” laughs Altieri.
As a lineless nude actor, his gestures and poses convey a story. “If I bring in a bow and arrow, and pull the arrow back, I can be a hunter shooting a bird, or the symbol of love—cupid.”
When posing, Altieri is aware of his physical capabilities. He says the posing timeline is one minute, two minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes, and 20 minutes.
Altieri admits, “For five minutes or longer, I need a prop to lean on for difficult poses. The basic prop for nude art models is a staff.”
Altieri will be the first one to tell you, “I enjoy using a staff for difficult poses. My artistic triplets are a sword, a 6-foot staff, and a bow and arrow.”
The threesome has accompanied him to Colorado College, Cottonwood Artist School, and private nude art studios, including the Denver and Boulder area. Return invites don’t come by luck, it comes from an excellent support system (his boss Ellen Allen, who pays him to model and friend/nude art model Jen;) being professional and rehearsing in a full-length mirror for one hour. Altieri says, he rehearses like a stage actor, which also affords him the privilege of practicing what he preaches.
Nudity is Not Always Sexual
“It’s difficult for some people in society to separate nude from sex. Years ago, people wanted to go skinny-dipping. Why? Because they were hot. Not because it was sexual.” Altieri says, he has met people who have modeled one or two sessions for self-image, and it’s worked for them.
To ease the nervousness of public speaking, many speakers are told to “imagine the crowd naked.” As someone who’s done speaking engagements, Altieri came to realize, “If I can stand in front of 100 people with my clothes on, then I can stand nude in front of people in a modeling session, then I can stand there with clothes for a speaking event.”
Speaking to a room of 30 people, at age 30, he accidentally came into nude art modeling. “I lived in San Francisco. My ex-girlfriend and I agreed to fill in for two friends of ours. Since we had zero experience, my friend told us to show up early. We had one hour of posing instruction. My ex and I were nervous and scared. Because we leaned on each other, the crowd enjoyed the theatrics. The people showed their appreciation through tips and through good feedback.”
Altieri has modeled for 12 years in Colorado, and he has no plans of slowing down as a nude actor and as an outdoor adventures instructor. Even a friend called him “a ferret on expresso.” As a seen-ager, like a “teenager,” his body is holding up. Being 95% confident about his body, Altieri hopes his age, or his scars, remind others, that to Ellen, the nude art models, and the artists they pose for, coverage is not necessary.
Nude is Beautiful
His favorite nude painting is “Lady Godiva because it’s well-known and colorful.” With no hesitation, Altieri says, “Nude is natural. Nude is how we came into the world.” And in the sphere of nude art modeling, “artists need a cross-section of life—all shapes, all sizes, all races, and yes, all ages.”
“Nude is natural. Nude is how we came into the world.”
Regarding age, Altieri recruited two of his friends to join him as a nude actor. “One friend is age 53, the other friend is 61.” Though he doesn’t know the longevity of his friends, he finds it gratifying “that I can do the same poses, as I did at age 30.”
Interested in Modeling?
The Art of Modeling, a model booking agency, based in Boulder, is seeking to obtain clients and nude art models (especially BIPOC) for work in Colorado Springs. If interested, contact Ellen Allen at (831) 421-2684.
