Small trees and benches 1992

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this drawing, Small trees and benches, using red chalk on paper. There’s a real sense of the artist working quickly, trying to capture a fleeting moment, maybe as the sun was setting. It's a sketch, really, about the energy of seeing. The marks are restless. Notice the way the artist uses the side of the chalk to build up the bulk of the trees, smudging and layering to create depth. Then, he switches to sharper, more defined lines to suggest the spindly branches reaching up towards the sky. The color isn’t really red, but rusty, burnt orange, like dried blood. The trees have this kind of crazy, untamed feeling - and the fence becomes a sort of loose scribble near the bottom of the page, all lopsided and tilting. It reminds me a little of Van Gogh's drawings, that same urgency and desire to get it all down before it disappears. It’s not perfect, but that's what makes it so alive.