Learning through copying old masters. Rembrandt 1990

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this drawing, ‘Learning through copying old masters. Rembrandt’ in 1990. It's a pencil drawing, and you can see how the artist is really feeling his way into the image with a flurry of marks, trying to find the form, building it up bit by bit. There's something so direct about a drawing like this, especially one that's based on another artist’s work. It's like the artist is entering into a conversation, translating Rembrandt's vision through his own hand. Look at the way the lines around the eyes are smudged and soft, giving the figure a sense of age and weariness. Then, notice the sharp, dark strokes that define the beard – that’s where the artist really digs in. This piece reminds me of the drawings of Lucian Freud. Both artists share a willingness to look closely at their subjects, capturing not just their likeness but something deeper, something about the human condition. Ultimately, the act of copying becomes a way of seeing, a way of understanding, and a way of making something new.