“Every day there�s the technical side of the discipline and there are good days and then bad days where the painting is giving me resistance and I don�t know how to paint anymore. But there�s also the emotional side of the work, the psychological side where you go in and explore feelings and relationships and memories. Often times you find things you�re not ready for and you can�t bear that this is in front of you. I assume that�s the vulnerability you�re talking about. I certainly have times where I walk around in my studio thinking: ‘I can�t paint, I�m not as good as I think I am, I�m certainly not as good as everyone else thinks I am.’ And I�m freaked. The other side is when you�ve opened a door and you feel the weight of the responsibility. There�s something sacred about paint. You make a pact with the painting, you will be responsible for whatever you�re putting on it, what you find out.” From Bomb, Winter 1995. Interview with A.M. Homes
“Dive Deep: Eric Fischl and the Process of Painting,” curated by Jodi Throckmorton and Harry Philbrick. San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA. Through May 2013.
Image at top: Eric Fischl, The Travel of Romance, Scene I, 1994, oil on linen, 58 x 65 inches.
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Comparing the 2012 painting to the one from 1994 makes it look like Fischl has started painting with his feet.