Fischl, Eric (1948– )

US realist painter. The most prominent artist of his generation, he is known for his narrative, frequently disturbing paintings of suburban Americans at play. His figures are shown on the beach or indoors, often engaged in such intimate activities as dressing or making love. His straightforward handling of sexual themes has been considered shocking, as in Bad Boy (1981).

Fischl's work has affinities with that of Edward Hopper and of Balthus, but unlike the latter's his voyeurism is detached and unerotic. Instead he seeks to reveal the emptiness of instantly gratified, materialistic lives.