Eric Fischl is a figurative painter known for his cinematic, dreamy paintings of American life. Whether it’s suburbia in the 1970s and 1980s, political scenes or photos of Halloween costumes, he captures the shadows of life with his paintbrush. Fischl’s new solo show opens at New York City’s Skarstedt gallery on March 14. Entitled “Hotel Stories,” it showcases nine cinematic paintings that hint at a narrative—on their face, they offer a fly-on-the-wall look into a spectrum of relatively benign rented rooms, but the people who occupy them are somehow eerie and there is a palpable tension.

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

A woman observes a tragedy on a TV. A couple looks like they might be fighting. A man, seemingly at ease, strums a guitar, but an AK-47 leans against a nearby chair. Fischl captures the comings and goings of strangers. The scenes he creates offer glimpses into contextless moments in transient spaces; we give them meaning, and we imbue them........

© Observer