A Place Called Space: Eric Fischl, Presence of an Absence

Tuesday, 17 April 2018

Eric Fischl, Presence of an Absence

Eric Fischl, Presence of an Absence, at Skarstedt, Mayfair.

'My paintings are only 'about' something when they've missed their mark. When they are successful, it is because they embody the 'thing' itself. They are about realism, they are about reality... They always fall short of perfection in ways that attest to their authenticity'.

In this body of work, set in domestic interiors and exteriors, there is an palpable sense of disconnect between an outward appearance of wealth and security and an inner sense of fear and longing for which there is no apparent cause. The paintings engage with a sense of detachment and with universal existential questions. There is a collapse of communication and a series of questions are being asked such as 'who are these people' and 'how are they connected?'

'There are two kinds of painter, if you like... One is somebody like Hopper who creates an image that bursts on your retina and you never forget it. You can see it, walk away and still see it. With the other kind you are caught up in the authenticity of the energy. The believable moment. Jackson Pollock, you are right there with him. I am essentially the Hopper artist trying to create a frozen moment. The truth about how it actually was'.