In my research paper I choose a piece of art done by artist Eric Fischl an American artist. The piece of art I chose is called Slumber Party which is currently located at the Chicago Art Institution. Fischl is most famous for his incredible pieces of art that are located around the world. Some I have personally observed and chosen to do my research paper over. I chose to look at a piece of art Fischl had created called Slumber Party which was constructed in 1983. Fischl’s art really caught my attention and interest to do my paper over his amazing piece of work.
In my paper I will be explaining who Eric Fischl is, the background of his art, specifically explain the piece of art,of the what I think is his purpose of his artwork is, what themes are contributed in the artwork, and the historical influences he seen on Fischl art Slumber Party. Eric Fischl is an American painter and sculptor. Fischl was born in 1948, growing up in New York City in the suburbs of Long Island (Bio). After moving to Phoenix Arizona , Fischl attended Phoenix College in 1972 earning his B. F. A from the California Institute for the Arts (Bio).
Being raised from a background of alcoholism in his family influenced a lot of his work as an artist. For Fischl, the weeping wound was his mother. Depressed, alcoholic, beautiful women who blamed her children and husband for her problems Fischl’s mother actually would get picked up by the police running through the streets of suburban Long Island naked, she also would walk around the house naked too (Bio). After threatening for years to kill herself, she finally succeeded, driving her car into a tree (Bio). Through his art Fischl is able to tell his story of his unstable childhood.
As Fischl aged he later married April Gornick who is also an artist who paints haunting landscapes. “To most outside observers, Mr. Fischl is one of his generation’s most successful artists, with numerous international exhibitions and work in museum collections, including at the Met and the MoMA. And yet the collector’s comment stuck with him”. (Observer) Fischl was a popular 80’s artist. Dave Salle is a similar artist to Eris Fischl who also did art in the 80’s. They are known as a neo expressionism artist an early style art characterized by intense color, dramatic usually figural forms, and emotive subject matter (Neo-Expressionism).
The art dominated the market in the United States and Europe during the early and mid 1980’s. Neo-expressionism comprised a varied assemblage of young artists who had returned to portraying the human body and other recognizable objects, in reaction to remote, introverted, highly intellectualized abstract art production (NeoExpressionism). Fischl is well known for his large scale canvases featuring a sparse seemingly lacking arrangements of elements often including posed women and nudes (Observer). Fischl’s art contains a lot of sexuality leaving a message to the audience.
It is a way of identification he believes. He recalls as a youth in which his parents would talk openly about their sex life and lounged around their bedroom where they visit after dinner to watch TV completely naked (Homes). When his mother was drinking it was often. This is a good reason why Fischl’s art has a lot of sexulaity involved into this work. Leaving his family secrecy and shame about these migrated into the uneasy discomforting iconography of his paintings. As time past Fischl’s art changed as well.
Focusing his art more on trauma, tragedy, and humanist including modern life. But sexuality still plays a role into his art today. After 9/11 Fischl made a sculpture called Tumbling Women represented her falling to the ground from jumping out the world trade center (ArtSpace). Also another piece of art he most recently did is called Falling Figures which is a series of seventeen near-lifesized watercolor paintings that were inspired by the famous photographs of victims jumping from the burning World Trade Center towers during the September 11, 2001 attacks (Artspace).
Fischl explained that the works were an attempt to confront the fact that the destruction of the World Trade Center’s architecture quickly became the focus of the city’s collective grieving, especially in the absence of any victims’ bodies, despite the three thousand lives lost (Artspace). Fischl’s art still contains sexuality but is painted in a meaning to represent something more important just as in Tumbling Women and Falling Figures represented the tragedy of 9/11. Also Fischl’s paintings portray scenes from everyday life from beach vacations, backyard barbeques, to domestic dramas.
These moments become the place where the mind thinks of themes such as the loss of innocence, impulsive behavior, and the transience of life come into his art work. Slumber party was created in 1983 made with oil on canvas, with an estimated range of cost of $800,000-$1,200,000 (Christies). In the painting a young boy and girl diverse states of undress prepare to go to bed. The boy is preoccupied by the television rather than the girl behind him. What is interesting in this image is that the boy appears to be more preoccupied by finding the right channel on the television than in the woman who is taking her underwear
Fischl’s works of art contain a lot of suspense. The artist has captured a moment where a young boy is preparing to sleep in the room with a woman. His sleeping bag is laid out on the floor, implying that he is not sleeping with her, and yet she is undressing so the tension of sex is in the air. As is evident in Slumber Party this peeping tom situation already constitutes a certain loss of innocence, As in most of Fischl’s work there is always the chance for the young boy to give the role of observer and become a participant and possibly a victim.
For example in the piece of work called Bad Boy a young boys is looking at an older women shown in provocative poses on a bed. Also the boy is secretly slipping his hand into a purse. This piece of art represents Fischl’s childhood growing up. In Slumber Party there are four term keys that are represented in Fischl’s art form , content, iconography, and context. The form of the portrait is flat made with oil on canvases, using a lot of cool colors and shades of dark. The content of the portrait is a boy and a girl getting ready for bed but sexuality is involved by the girl getting undressed.
The loss of Innocence is involved due to the boy not paying any mind to the girl getting undressed. Also The voodoo doll, Fischl grew up in a house with one of those, and all my friends’ houses seemed to have a Japanese scroll, a Kontiki head, something that represented otherness, and exoticism. It is not unlike the way we deal with pets, which is that they connect us to something that we’re not, something that remains a mystery. Iconography of Fischl’s portraits are mainly sexuality and nude pieces of work.
Most of his work are portraits of nude men and women. The context of Fischl’s art work is being able to tell stories through his art and allowing his audience to relate or be able to think on what his art might be about and why he created it. Eric Fischl’s art it unique and spontaneous which is why I chose to do my paper over his piece of art. He tells his childhood story through his art, allowing other who have been in the same situation to relate. Also allows the audience to think, which makes his art even more interesting to look at.
I personally chose this piece of art because it caught my attention. I wanted to figure out what was the meaning behind the piece of work called Slumber Party. Which later led me to learn more about Fischl’s background and purpose to his art work. I my paper | explained who Eric Fischl is, the background of his art, specifically explain the piece of art I chose, of the what I think is his purpose of his artwork is, what themes are contributed in the artwork, and the historical influences some of his art work.
