ABSTRACT
Like the ageless representations of the Virgin Mary, whose virtue was traditionally evinced by perpetual youth, the reality of a model's physical age has often been disregarded or manipulated by artists. This act is not so much an expression of a desire to represent physical beauty as a deeper symbolic gesture, often incumbent upon issues of ageing, death, and the establishment of a visual memory or afterlife. Life and death often transcend physical reality in the relationship between artist and model, creating highly expressive images of personal mourning. In certain instances, this imagery also contributes significantly to - indeed, serves almost as a template for - the stylization of figures and the creation of an idealized image. This image can become so closely associated with the artist that, over time, the model is no longer associated with his or her individual appearance, which provided the original inspiration.
