Nude (Ink monotype) 2013

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this monotype, Nude, using ink, and it’s a dance of black marks on a white field. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving quickly, decisively. Ink monotypes are so immediate, you don’t have time to second guess. You just go for it, swipe and press, a fleeting moment captured. Look at the raw energy in those strokes, how they define the form with such minimal means. It reminds me of the bold strokes you see in Japanese calligraphy. I wonder what Krupa was thinking about when he made this. Was he trying to capture the essence of a body, or just the sheer pleasure of working with ink? Either way, it feels honest, unpretentious. It’s like he’s saying, “Here’s what I see, here’s what I feel,” and leaving it at that. You see this approach in the work of other artists, like Franz Kline, who weren’t afraid to let their gestures speak for themselves. It's a continuous conversation, each artist responding to what came before.