The Arm/Hand Study. Lilian (7.12.1993)

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this study of an arm and hand in 1993 using crayon on paper. There's something about the hatching marks here that really grabs me, it's all about the process. You can feel the artist trying to capture the form. The texture is important here, the way the crayon is applied. It’s not about hiding the process, it’s about the making of it. I like to think about how each mark is an individual decision, a small movement, yet, together they create a whole. Look at the elbow. See how the artist has built up the layers to create depth and shadow? That’s where the arm really pops for me, right there. It reminds me of some of the old masters’ drawings, like Michelangelo, but with a contemporary feel. For me, art is always a conversation across time. It’s never really about fixed meanings, right? It's about the ongoing exchange of ideas, experiments, and different ways of seeing.