Kupa river under the snow 1997

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this small watercolor painting, Kupa River under the Snow, on paper, and what I like about it is how simple it is. It’s about reduction, right? How little can you do and still say something powerful about a place, a moment, a feeling? The blues and grays are so subtle, they almost disappear into the white of the paper, mimicking the way snow softens and simplifies a landscape. There’s a stillness here, a quiet that feels really true to a winter scene. Look at the way Krupa uses these transparent washes; it’s not about heavy, descriptive marks, but more about suggestion. It reminds me a bit of some of Agnes Martin’s subtle abstractions, where the real subject is more about atmosphere and light than any specific thing. I think art is all about that conversation, where artists pick up on each other’s ideas and run with them in new directions, and this work is no different. It leaves plenty of room for us to bring our own experiences, our own feelings about winter and stillness, into the mix.