Skip to main content
artist's model

artist's model

1 3.4
A person who poses so an artist can draw or paint them
  • noun
  • /ˈɑrtɪsts ˈmɒdəl/
translation icon : modelo de artista
  • As an experienced artist's model, she knew how to capture the right expressions.

Examples

  • The artist's model posed for the painter with grace and poise.

  • You would make a wonderful artist's model.

  • The artist's model who dreamed of being his muse and, thus, perhaps painting herself.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • On the strength of that experience, Matthew became an artist's model at Notre Dame.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • On the opposite side of the studio, the artist's model huddles behind a screen, having wrapped herself in some sort of fabric to hide her nudity.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Tina also worked as an artist's model and thus came to know Edward Weston (1920), who was already widely known as a remarkable and innovative photographer (Figure 1).

    Academic text (1996)
  • Every Saturday, the gallery showcases an artist's model who inspires local artists.

Synonyms

model
vsartist's model
368 3.9

A person who shows clothes or poses for photos

is specifically about posing for depiction rather than showing clothes or commercial work
sitter
vsartist's model
4 4.1

A person or animal that stays still to be painted

emphasizes posing specifically for depiction by visual artists rather than just sitting
poser
vsartist's model
1 7.2

A person who stays still so an artist can draw or photograph them

focuses on posing for painters and sculptors rather than photographers
photographer's model
vsartist's model
1 3.9

A person who poses for photos, often for fashion or ads

is used for posing for any artist, not only photographers

Surface Forms

Morphology

artist's + model

The meaning is directly compositional: 'artist's' indicates association/possession and 'model' is already 'a person who poses', so a learner who knows both words can infer 'a person who poses for an artist'. The possessive noun + noun pattern is a common and literal construction across languages, making the expression immediately understandable to B1 learners.

Etymology

Artist's model The noun artist's model comes from the simple picture of a model sitting or standing still for an artist while they draw, paint, or sculpt. The model 'poses' so the artist can make a picture or statue, so the phrase means 'a person who poses for an artist'.