The tree 2005

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this drawing, called 'The Tree', in charcoal on paper. Just look at that network of lines, like neurons firing off in the brain, or the vascular system of a leaf, somehow holding the whole thing together! It’s spare and economical but still evokes so much. I imagine Krupa standing en plein air, charcoal in hand, feeling the cool air on his face, really seeing the essence of that tree. It's got this quality of quiet observation that I find super appealing. You know, the way the lines vary in thickness, some bold and assertive, others almost disappearing into the paper? That's where the magic happens. Each stroke seems so intuitive, almost like a dance between the artist and the subject. And the negative space is just as important as the lines themselves, creating this airy, open feeling. It reminds me of Twombly's more gestural drawings, or maybe some of Guston’s pared-down landscapes. Like those painters, Krupa finds a way to make something so direct and personal, while also tapping into this larger conversation about mark-making and representation. We are all, as artists, in an ongoing conversation.