Figure 1981

Nikos Nikolaou made this "Figure" painting with subtle color washes and a loose, searching line. I love how the paint looks like it has been pushed around with a cloth, like the artist was trying to find a form already half there. Look at how the figure's back is barely defined, just a few strokes suggesting the curve of the spine, but then the hands are rendered with more detail, like the artist was captivated by their expressive potential. The colour of the ground is a similar tone to the figure, as if the sitter is emerging from the earth, like a dream. It reminds me of work by Giorgio Morandi in the way it finds monumental forms in simple subjects, or maybe even Philip Guston's late paintings where figuration is reduced to the most minimal terms. It’s a reminder that art doesn't have to be about answers; it can be about the questions, the search, and the beautiful uncertainty of it all.