A few strokes of the landscape 2013

Alfred Freddy Krupa created “A few strokes of the landscape” with ink on paper. Krupa was born in Croatia but his art is deeply influenced by Japanese ink wash painting, known as Suiboku-ga. This form has a long and fascinating social history. It developed in China during the Tang Dynasty and later became associated with Zen Buddhism. In Japan, it was embraced by the samurai class. Krupa self-consciously allies himself with these traditions. However, as a modern artist, he seems to be pushing against the formal constraints of this style. He is creating art after the break-up of Yugoslavia, in a globalized world where art is no longer tied to a specific place or social function. To understand Krupa, we need to consider the institutions that support his art. Who buys it? Where is it exhibited? What kind of critical attention does it receive? These are the kind of questions that art historians ask.