Three passengers and two birds 1993

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this monochrome artwork using ink on paper. What I see here is the artist's hand moving quickly to capture a scene, its energy almost palpable in the brushstrokes. Look at how the sweeping washes of grey create a backdrop for the stark black lines of the trees and figures; a dynamic interplay between solid forms and atmospheric space. I can imagine Krupa, perhaps working en plein air, trying to distill a landscape into its most essential elements, deciding what to leave out and what to emphasize. The scene has been reduced to a series of marks, a kind of shorthand, that evokes a feeling of place and movement. You know, it kind of reminds me of some Chinese landscape paintings, where the artist uses minimal means to suggest vastness and depth. I wonder if Krupa was thinking about those traditions when he made this work. Artists are always in dialogue with each other, riffing on ideas and pushing them in new directions.