Corrida in Ronda No. 6, 2008

Eric Fischl made "Corrida in Ronda No. 6" using oils and canvas, layering the painting up from a background wash to more detailed figuration. There is something so great about how Fischl embraces the performative nature of painting, and how it can be about watching itself unfold. There’s a palpable sense of the arena’s drama, but also of the artist’s studio, a space where acts of imagination, and the physical application of paint, both take place. I love the contrast in this piece between the smooth handling of the sandy background and the more textured, almost cake-like impasto of the matador’s costumes. The way the figures seem caught in a moment of choreographed tension. And the colors, those deep reds against the pale sky, feel both brutal and strangely beautiful. It makes me think of Goya’s bullfighting scenes but with a contemporary twist, like a shared language spoken across generations. In the end, it’s a painting that invites you to consider the multiple layers of meaning and feeling that art can hold.