Small trees and benches 1992

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this drawing, Small trees and benches, with a red crayon on paper. Just imagine him outside with his pad and crayon, quickly trying to capture the light as it fell on this unassuming scene. It’s really just marks on paper, isn’t it? Red lines scratching and scribbling to create a stand of trees with a bench, a fence, and a building. The marks are so simple, so fast, but together they just about become something. I bet Krupa wasn't thinking too hard about it. He was just trying to get something down before the moment passed. He was probably inspired by expressionist artists like Kirchner, who used bold lines to convey emotion. What a great thing to aim for! To create something raw and from-the-gut with feeling, and to trust the process. Painting is a form of expression, and these artists are always in conversation with each other, learning and riffing off each other's work.