Thousands of views of the river 2020

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this ink drawing, "Thousands of views of the river," with decisive strokes on paper. I can just imagine the artist, brush in hand, stepping back, squinting, then lunging forward to make his mark. It’s a language of ink, and Krupa is fluent. The textures vary from juicy and wet to dry and scratchy, as the brush runs out of ink. There’s a calligraphic feel to the marks, so that each one seems intentional, precise. In that sense, it reminds me of Brice Marden’s paintings, where a single gesture has to carry so much weight. I love the way these inky branches reach out, as though trying to grab something. Maybe that’s what artists do, always reaching, never quite satisfied. It's this restlessness that pushes painting forward, this constant urge to say something new.