Nowicki (1994) - Veiled Figure

In Veiled Figure, Nowicki presents a portrait that is both immediate and withdrawn, balancing figuration with a raw, expressive surface. The subject is partially obscured by an oversized black hat that casts a deep shadow across the upper face, leaving only the lower features visible. This deliberate concealment introduces a tension between visibility and anonymity, inviting the viewer to engage with what is withheld as much as what is revealed.

The composition is structured through contrast. The dark, textured mass of the hat is set against a warm, ochre-toned ground, while the figure’s pale skin emerges with a cool, almost sculptural clarity. The garment, marked by gestural black forms, disrupts any sense of decorative calm, introducing a more immediate and contemporary painterly language.

Nowicki’s handling of oil, charcoal and acrylic on cardboard remains intentionally direct. The surface retains traces of process, with visible marks and layered passages that emphasise materiality over illusion. The result is a work that situates itself between portrait and abstraction, where identity becomes secondary to presence, and where the image is defined as much by erasure and shadow as by depiction.

Medium: Acrylic, oil, charcoal and mixed media on cardboard

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Nowicki (b. 1994, Poland) studied at the Państwowe Liceum Sztuk Plastycznych im. J. Pankiewicza in Katowice before graduating from the London College of Fashion. Working across painting and fashion, his practice is influenced by artists such as Zdzisław Beksiński and Olga Boznańska, as well as designers Philip Treacy and Alexander McQueen. His work has been exhibited in Katowice, Radomsko, and Warsaw.

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Curated by Havisham & Co.
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