Dubovac from a nearby orchard 1993

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this 50 by 70 cm painting called Dubovac from a nearby orchard. There's a certain quickness, a feeling of directness, in how he lays down each brushstroke; it's like he's chasing a fleeting moment, trying to pin down the way the light hits that old architecture. And look at the way he’s built up the paint, especially in the trees and the building on the left. It's thick, almost sculptural in places, with these juicy, visible brushstrokes that give everything a real sense of texture. Then there are those thin, almost transparent washes of color in the sky, creating this atmospheric contrast. That dark brown mark that defines the bare tree in the center is so confident, so direct; it really anchors the whole composition, doesn't it? It reminds me a little of some of the early Fauvist painters, like Derain, in its use of bold color and simplified forms, but Krupa brings his own sensibility. Like them, he embraces a playful attitude towards perception, inviting us to see the world anew.