Janice Nowinski

Janice Nowinski is an accomplished artist known for her paintings that challenge conventional boundaries and explore the interplay between form, subject, and emotion.

Biography of Janice Nowinski

Janice Nowinski, born in 1959 in Manhattan, had a childhood in Rockaway Park, Queens. Her passion for art led her to pursue higher education, and she successfully obtained her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Painting from Yale University in 1987.

Exhibitions of Janice Nowinski

In her exhibition, "New Work," Janice Nowinski invites viewers into a world where is a dynamic interplay of jostling lines, expanses, and daubs of paint.

Janice Nowinski's artistic process often begins with a found photograph, typically unassuming and lacking substantial information. She skillfully utilizes these photographs as references for multiple paintings. Her ability to cover large surfaces with seemingly effortless strokes creates a captivating illusion of time collapsing within the artwork. The interplay of jostling lines, expansive areas, and expressive brushstrokes coalesce to capture a singular moment, wherein even the slightest alteration would necessitate a complete reconfiguration.

The barely rendered, scrawled faces of Nowinski’s mostly female nudes lend an air of disconcerted content to their splayed bodies. These faces possess a whimsical and even slapdash quality, disrupting any conventional visual associations with the eroticism or heroism typically associated with traditional nudes.

Recent Paintings

Nowinski's paintings possess a combination of modest scale and ambitious expansiveness, drawing viewers into an intimate engagement with their surfaces. Each deliberate brushstroke carries the weight of the artist's contemplation, revealing the thought processes behind the creation of each piece. In one such work, "Bather" (2021), Nowinski employs deeply saturated hues that radiate in a closely valued harmony. The figure depicted in a leaning posture evokes the bathing women portrayed by esteemed artists like Bonnard, Degas, and even Ingres. However, Nowinski's approach takes a radical departure, simplifying the figure and liberating it from any reliance on a living model or an authoritative abstract ideal.

Artistic Achievements and Recognition

Janice Nowinski's artistic contributions have garnered recognition through exhibitions at esteemed institutions such as the American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Academy Museum, American University Museum, Zurcher Gallery, and Steven Harvey Fine Arts Projects. Her remarkable talent and dedication were acknowledged when she received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2022. Additionally, Nowinski was honored as a recipient of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program award for 2022/23, further solidifying her reputation as an accomplished artist.

Nowinski's artistic contributions have garnered attention and critical acclaim, with reviews and features in prestigious publications such as Artforum, Hudson Review, Hyperallergic, Two Coats of Paint, Huffington Post, and American Artist.