Rottweiler 1991

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this striking image of a Rottweiler with ink on paper. Look how the marks come together. They have a real directness, as if the brush hardly touched the page but still left its trace. The brushwork is confident, with the overall structure of the dog emerging with just a few strokes. I imagine Krupa quickly capturing the essence of the animal, not fussing over the details, but getting right to the heart of its form and presence. Each stroke is deliberate and the ink is thin, almost transparent in places, allowing the white of the paper to breathe. It reminds us that painting is always in conversation with other images. The Rottweiler is a dog, but also a symbol, a sign, a memory. And, maybe, a premonition.