ESCENARIO: En una pequeña cafetería cerca de Washington D.C., cuatro amigos estaban relajándose.

El vapor se elevaba desde sus tazas bajo el resplandor del atardecer.

El murmullo de las conversaciones y el sonido de la vajilla formaban un ritmo a su alrededor.

El grupo miraba de manera casual la computadora portátil de Tim, que mostraba una obra en honor a un artista estadounidense.

Sam: (mirando de reojo la pantalla del ordenador mientras sorbe un macchiato) Lo que admiro del arte de Paul Krapf es que borra los límites entre lo espiritual y lo sensual. Sus lienzos se sienten vivos, aunque muchos fueron creados hace años o incluso décadas.

Tim: (asintiendo lentamente) Nunca tuve el honor de conocerlo. Claramente, su arte sugiere un profundo amor por el mundo natural y un sentido de la sacralidad de las cosas cotidianas.

Kris: (inclinándose hacia adelante y guiñándole un ojo a Sam con picardía) Honestamente, creo que fue un artista mejor que Norman Rockwell. Las etiquetas fáciles no logran describir adecuadamente su arte.

Lamentablemente, es mayormente pasado por alto. ¡Qué voluble es la fama!

IN MEMORY OF PAUL KRAPF: Some thoughts about a great American artist (Revised)

SETTING: In a small coffee shop near Washington D.C. four friends were relaxing.

Steam curled upward from their cups in the late afternoon glow.

The low hum of conversations clattered formed a rhythm around them.

The group casually looked at Tim's laptop, which featured an artwork in honor of an American artist.

Min: (glancing at the computer screen near him while sipping a macchiato) What I admire about the art of Paul Krapf is that he erases the boundaries between the spiritual and the sensual.

His canvases feel alive, even though many of them were created years or decades ago.

Tim: (nodding slowly) I never had the honor of meeting him. Clearly, his art suggests a deep love for the world of nature and a sense of the sacredness of ordinary things.

Andrei: (leaning forward, then winking at Min coyly) Honestly, I think he was a better artist than Norman Rockwell. Convenient labels cannot do a decent job of describing his art. Sadly, he is mostly overlooked.

How fickle fame is!

Rea: (leaning back, weighing her words slowly) I think of Norman Rockwell as more of a graphic ethnographer than an artist. His visual depictions offered valuable snapshots of the myths and realities of 20th century American life. However, in terms of painting skill, Paul Krapf was surely greater.

In terms of marketing savvy, however, Norman Rockwell was par excellent.