Spoils of Bygone Times

The bygone times carry a tinge of loss and estrangement. It belongs to generations whose memory has faded or persists only in the traces they left behind.

The categories of classic painting present in Krzysztof Nowicki’s work demand interpretation rather than just literal description. His works are not simply images of flowers or hunting scenes but a suggestive transformation of centuries-old artworks — as if subjected to the ravages of time: blurred, faded, indistinct, like specters in a fogged mirror. This form directly reveals the decay of the image itself.

Still lifes, portraits, and hunting scenes carry symbolic meaning. The depiction of hounds tracking and attacking game reflects the self-image of those in power — their attitude toward nature and their environment. The struggle between dogs and prey is a symbol: once, it expressed the superiority of culture over nature, the hierarchy of dominance, and even a broader metaphysical order. Modern society rejects such a clear-cut justification of power and hierarchy, and Nowicki’s work exposes the darker aspects of this legacy: violence as one of the fundamental dimensions of human nature and social relations.

Historically, ritual largely regulated the space of violence. Today, it no longer restrains destruction — unleashed by immense technological capabilities, humanity brings ruin upon itself and the environment on a scale beyond all comprehension or justification. What once seemed a triumph and a promise of progress has turned out to be an illusion — like a chest of banknotes from a country that no longer exists.

Krzysztof Nowicki Spoils of Bygone Times