Self-portrait or the Gaelic Viking 2013

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this ‘Self-portrait or the Gaelic Viking’ with pen and ink, I’m guessing, at some point recently. It’s all about process here, you can see it in every stroke. The marks are so immediate, so un-fussy. Thick and thin, transparent and opaque, black, white, and beige, all working together. I love how the paint looks scrubbed on, especially around the face, like he’s trying to erase himself, or maybe just find himself in the mess. Look at the lines on his neck, they’re so raw and direct, totally unconcerned with being pretty. The way he’s built up the shadow on one side of his face is just great. It reminds me a bit of Philip Guston’s later stuff, the way he embraced awkwardness and imperfection. It's like both artists are saying, "Here I am, warts and all." Art is like this ongoing conversation, right? Each artist riffing on what came before, trying to figure something out about themselves, and the world, in the process.