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Aquatint etching on wove paper. Signed by the artist, dated 1989, and numbered 66/100 lower right in pencil. Edition of 100 with 15 artist’s proofs. Published by Parasol Press.
The beach at sunset glows orange, illuminating a trio of bathers, in tropical colors reminiscent of Gaugin’s iconic paintings of Tahiti. This Eric Fischl beach scene features a bronzed, nude woman who holds her bathing suit out with an insouciant flick of the wrist. Over her shoulder, a green towel hides nothing, as she struts towards toward the viewer. To the right, a nude woman and man sit, shaded by trees. The ambiguity between the figures generates sexual tension: are they strangers, or intimately acquainted? Around the two nude figures, a kaleidoscopic pattern of black squares glazed with gold suggests the gently moving shade of overhead foliage. The impression of two etching plates evokes a pair of snapshots – incorporating the viewer into the role of voyeur. Fischl’s painterly marks display the transparency and fluidity of a watercolor painting, yet the artist’s command of light and shadow lend this dream-like scene surprising realism. Printed in turquoise, brown, beige, blue, and black, this print is a superlative example of Eric Fischl’s sexually charged, disquieting scenes of everyday American life and leisure.
