In Il Peso del Velo, a veiled figure occupies a moment of inward withdrawal, her posture and expression shaped by gravity rather than performance. The veil, richly textured and heavy with pattern, frames her face while simultaneously obscuring it, creating a tension between revelation and concealment. Her lowered gaze and restrained gesture suggest choice — not disappearance, but control over visibility. The painting’s palette is deep and subdued, with warm shadows absorbing light and allowing selective highlights to settle on skin, fabric, and gold details. Jewellery and embroidered garments are treated with a tactile sensitivity, their weight felt rather than flaunted. The figure’s presence is defined less by narrative action than by psychological density: an interior state rendered through surface and shadow. Rooted in classical portraiture yet emotionally contemporary, Il Peso del Velo explores themes of agency, dignity, and self-possession. The veil becomes a metaphor for boundaries — cultural, emotional, and personal — transforming ornament into a language of restraint and quiet authority. ⸻ About the artist: Agatino Bivona, known artistically as Bivaga, was born in Biancavilla, Sicily, in 1972 and currently lives and works in Adrano. A pupil and close confidant of master Antonio Sciacca, Bivaga began his artistic journey at a young age and has spent over three decades refining his unmistakable visual language. His hyperrealistic portraits, rich in symbolism and emotional nuance, have been featured in major exhibitions in Italy and abroad. Celebrated in critical publications such as I Grandi Maestri (2009), and reviewed by prominent art critics like Nicola Villari and Alfredo Pasolino, Bivaga’s works are held in private collections across Europe, the United States, and Japan — carrying fragments of Sicilian elegance far beyond its borders. Full catalogue on www.BivagaStudio.com Instagram: @bivagastudio