Memories of Green 1993

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this gelatin silver print, called “Memories of Green,” sometime in the late 20th or early 21st century. What strikes me first is how Krupa plays with time and perception. The hazy, blurred figures give the image a dreamlike quality, as if we’re glimpsing a scene from a half-remembered memory. I love the way the light interacts with the surface of the print. It’s as if the figures are emerging from a fog, their forms both present and absent. It reminds me of the way Gerhard Richter uses blurring in his paintings to evoke a sense of distance and ambiguity. The way the figures are arranged on the sofa is so casual, almost awkward, which somehow makes it feel more intimate. This piece feels like a fragment of a larger narrative. Like so many photographs, its strength lies in its ambiguity, inviting us to project our own stories and interpretations onto the image.