Is grey the new black? The Thiruvananthapuram Fine Arts College seems to think so. The institution has a decades old tradition of employing elderly men and women – all over 70 years of age – as models for their still-life drawing classes.
The reasons behind this slightly unusual decision? Employing younger or nude models is tricky due to practical difficulties as well as social taboos, and it is also more affordable to use elderly models. Secondly, it gives these elders a feeling of being valued as well as contributing socially. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Lakshmi Amma is the only female model employed by the college, and as such, is always in high demand. She was once the domestic help of one of the college’s faculty members, but after old age restricted her from carrying out physical labour, she was offered the position of a model. “What makes me happier is the fact that I am able to spend time with these young people, a welcome escape from my loneliness,” she says.
Of her male contemporaries, Kabir, aged 70, was homeless and unemployed until a student of the college approached him and asked if he would like to be a model. Having no ties to his children or grandchildren, he is content with his new job, as it lets him interact with the young students.
“When I come here, I am surrounded by these lovable kids. I too enjoy their company. They take time out to listen to all that I have to say, and willingly spend time with me,” he explains.
Krishna Pillai, 73, was once a watchman on the college campus but after he retired, he was also asked by the college to return as a model. Pillai says that being back in the college makes him very happy as he has spent so much of his life there.
Indeed, in their own way, the elderly models of the college are defying expectations of the ageing process. There is beauty in so many different sorts of people, including ethnic, older and larger models, and it’s refreshing to see this small measure of expanding our visual vocabulary.
Featured image source: News Minute
Written by Advaitaa Ravi
