Sooty winter landscape from Korana river en plein air 1994

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this painting of a winter landscape by the Korana river, seemingly outside, judging by the title. You can almost feel the biting cold air nipping at your nose, right? The dominant gesture is a wash; a sweeping application of diluted paint. I can imagine Krupa, battling the elements, his brush dancing across the paper, trying to capture the scene before his fingers froze. The paint is thin, almost like watercolor, creating a sense of fluidity and movement. See how the dark strokes on the left become trees, reflected in the water? It’s like he’s coaxing the image out of the nothingness, building up layers of tone to evoke the somber mood of winter. It reminds me of some of the tonalist painters, those folks who were all about atmosphere and feeling. There’s a quietness to this piece, a stillness that invites contemplation. Painting is like that, a conversation across time, where we borrow and steal and transform each other’s ideas.