July the 22nd, 2023 – On the 13th of July this year, Alfred Freddy Krupa, an award-winning academic painter and professor, received the award of the City of Karlovac during the City Council session for Karlovac’s 444th birthday.
The award was presented to him by the president of the City Council and the mayor of the City of Karlovac, in front of numerous officials, dignitaries, and guests from the country and abroad. Ten plaques were also presented to deserving citizens.
Krupa has continuously contributed to the development of art, culture, and promotion of the City of Karlovac for more than three decades. His works can be found in some of the world’s most prestigious museums and galleries. He is the winner of many international awards, a lot of recognition, decorations, and promotions for his creativity, both in Croatia and abroad.
Alfred Ferddy Krupa is considered a New Ink Art movement pioneer in the West and enjoys international recognition. According to the Allgemeines Kunstlerlexikon (AKL – Berlin, General Dictionary of the Artist), he is the leading representative of modern European ink painting. This year he also set the world record for the largest drawing created using swan and goose feathers as paint brushes. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Warsaw lists Alfred Freddy Krupa among the 70 most respected artists in the world.
Even though he travelled the world and lived in Japan for a long time, he remained loyal to Karlovac and was forever fascinated by its rivers. Having come from a third generation of painters, he was greatly influenced by his relationship with his grandfather Alfredo Krupa. He was shaped as a person and an artist by growing up in a family of artists. His grandfather’s death, which he has never been able to truly move on from, prompted him to become a painter. “My grandfather was delighted when I told him I wanted to become a painter. He asked me where I had been hiding, and we talked, drew, and discussed art for a long time. During the last year of his life, my grandfather and I had a lot of conversations about art and life. That relationship shaped me as an artist and person,” said Krupa.
According to Alfred Freddy Krupa, artists are caught between two poles when it comes to inspiration and creation – trendy or authentic. Being trendy is not important to him. Krupa is an authentic artist who bravely explores the inner emotional world. He says that personal change and growth come only from suffering, difficult and dramatic experiences, real, and that is what makes art meaningful. “If you are authentic, it is assumed that you will create through your experiences. My inspiration comes from difficult life experiences that have profoundly changed me. Over time, my line has also changed because of personal experiences. This is exactly what real art is,” concluded Alfred Freddy Krupa.
