Vladimir Frandolić (5.12.1993) 1993

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this drawing of Vladimir Frandolić in 1993, likely with sanguine chalk or conte crayon on paper. The all-over red tone gives a warmth, but the lines that build the face are wiry, creating form from a process of pure looking and feeling. The texture of the paper peeks through, giving the red a kind of breath. Look at how the artist has built up the form of the nose with these thin, almost anxious lines, so different from the smudged, softer marks that create the cheek. It’s like the drawing is both confident and tentative at the same time, capturing something about the sitter’s personality. This work reminds me of some early modernists like Modigliani, or perhaps even some of the German Expressionists. It’s like Krupa is having a conversation with art history, but in his own slightly off-kilter way. It’s a process of exchange across time, proving art doesn't have to have all the answers; it can embrace ambiguity and multiple interpretations.