Nena 1988

This is a photograph titled "Nena" by Alfred Freddy Krupa, and even though we don't have a date for it, the high contrast of this black and white image, with its visible film grain, really says something about the way photography used to be. I find myself really drawn to the intimacy of the image. The subject, Nena, looks directly out at the viewer with a slight smile, which might be because of the low definition of the photo, as much as her genuine expression. The soft focus lends a dreamlike quality to the scene, and the composition feels both casual and deliberate. It puts me in mind of the work of someone like Nan Goldin, who used photography to capture moments of her own life and the lives of those around her, in all their raw and complicated beauty. But there is also something here of early photography, a reminder that every image is a trace of a particular time and place, imbued with the specific intentions and sensibilities of the artist. Art is an ongoing dialogue, always building on what came before.