My Korean friend in Tokyo 1998

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this drawing, 'My Korean friend in Tokyo', using what looks like pencil, or maybe a very fine liner. The approach is delicate, almost tentative, like feeling out a form in space. What strikes me is the sense of light and airiness he achieves with just a few lines. The texture of the paper is almost as important as the marks themselves, allowing the white of the surface to breathe through the image. Look at the way he suggests the hair, not with solid blocks of color, but with these wispy, almost hesitant strokes. It’s as if he’s capturing not just the appearance of the hair, but its movement, its lightness, its very essence. And that little flurry of marks around the collarbone? It’s pure poetry. This feels reminiscent of some of Matisse's line drawings. Like Matisse, Krupa understands the power of simplicity, of saying so much with so little. It’s this kind of quiet confidence that makes art so endlessly fascinating, isn’t it?