Nena 1988

Here's "Nena", an undated photograph by Alfred Freddy Krupa. It's a study in black and white, a grayscale world, and what strikes me is the contrast. I wonder about Krupa's choice to capture this scene in monochrome. It's like he’s stripping away the excess, boiling down the image to its rawest form. What was he thinking when he clicked the shutter? Was it a desire to focus on form, texture, the interplay of light and shadow? The umbrella hovering over the sitter like a dark halo, that grid casting shadows, it's like a dance between protection and exposure. The curve of her smile is echoed in the dome of the umbrella. Artists are always riffing off each other, borrowing, stealing, and transforming ideas across time. Painting, like photography, is a way to feel, to think, to express what's within.