Veiled Gaze

by Darya (“Dasha”) Prudnikova

“"I am a 27-year-old artist who moved to the U.S. when I was 10 years old. From an early age, I was immersed in art, constantly drawing and painting my way through countless sketchbooks. Specializing in portrait and figurative paintings of women, my work captures emotion with a distinct focus on the eyes and hands. I deliberately portray women from a female perspective, aiming to break away from the historical lens of male artists. I believe that the gestures of the hands are just as expressive and revealing as the eyes. While oil paint remains my primary medium, I also enjoy experimenting with mosaics, glass, and acrylics, continually pushing my creative boundaries. Within the last year, I’ve also worked on five large-scale murals for Mural Arts of Philadelphia, including ""The Mother.""

Recently, I’ve been working on a series of bodyscapes and sensual paintings of women under fabrics, inspired by some photos a photographer friend took of me years ago. Transparent fabrics draped over the female form can evoke a sense of vulnerability, delicacy, and intimacy. They hint at the layers of complexity within femininity, revealing without fully exposing. The way light and shadow play through the sheer material captures both strength and softness, symbolizing different aspects of femininity. All the paintings in this series were done in oil on canvas, and each piece is over 4 feet in size."“