Keith Cunningham’s drawings of hooded figures occupy a haunting and psychologically charged space within his oeuvre. Rendered in a minimal, almost abstract visual language, these works present veiled or faceless forms that resist identification. Rather than depicting specific individuals, Cunningham offers anonymous bodies cloaked in ambiguity, caught in moments of stillness, isolation or motion. Executed generally in ink, the figures tend to be portrayed in profile, their posture closed, their features obscured by the hood. This concealment introduces a sense of tension: the viewer is held at a distance, denied access to expression, forced to interpret gesture and outline alone.

The hood, historically associated with anonymity, ritual or threat, becomes here a formal device as well as a psychological barrier. Cunningham’s treatment of the figure is typically economical, with emphasis on contour and movement rather than on spatial weight. The surrounding void in the compositions heighten the sense of isolation, amplifying the figures’ presence through what is left unsaid. Within Cunningham’s wider body of work, the hooded figures align with his interest in abstraction, ambiguity and the inner life of form. They do not illustrate narrative but offer a framework for exploring identity, fantasy and the limits of perception.