The old houses under the snow 1997

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this watercolour on paper, called "The old houses under the snow". Look at how Krupa teases out those subtle washes of cool greys. I can almost feel the silence after a heavy snowfall; that muffled stillness. Watercolour can be unforgiving, right? I bet Krupa had to be really precise, working fast with the fluidity of the medium to capture this snowy scene, with its rooftops weighed down under thick blankets of white. It reminds me of other artists who’ve tried to capture the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, like, say, Turner or Whistler, but with a starker, more pared-down approach. Artists are constantly responding to one another across time, riffing on similar themes and ideas. Painting is a conversation, after all; and in this quiet scene, I think Krupa offers us a moment of contemplation and calm.