The Bed, the Chair, the Sitter 1999

Editor: So, here we have Eric Fischl’s “The Bed, the Chair, the Sitter” from 1999, oil on canvas. It gives me this almost voyeuristic, unsettling feeling. The light is dramatic, the composition is… awkward, and the figures seem disconnected. What do you see in it? Curator: Awkward is an interesting word, a good word, because Fischl always courts discomfort, doesn't he? Think about the '90s—end of the millennium anxieties. Here you've got this domestic scene gone slightly wrong. The 'sitter' looks utterly disengaged; is she imprisoned or merely bored? Then there’s the guy on the phone – is he even present, emotionally? The bed in the background almost taunts you. It is full of so many narratives all screaming silently. Do you think Fischl intended to create such narrative density? Editor: Absolutely, and it's definitely open-ended. I’m wondering about the empty chairs though; like vacant thrones or judgement seats almost. What’s their deal? Curator: Wonderful point! The chairs are almost stand-ins for us, the viewers. Are we invited in, or are we intruding? Fischl does this thing where he makes us question our role as observers, turning up the volume on a loaded scenario where things will likely fall apart, at any second. Are the characters really connected, and are we really seeing the entire story? It is hard to say with so many emotions going on at the same time, just as is life, no? Editor: I love that idea of the chairs being us. It definitely amplifies that feeling of being uncomfortably present. It changes how I look at it all; the shadows, light, the subjects even more closely now! Curator: Exactly! So next time you are uncomfortably watching somebody else having uncomfortable situations, question yourself why? That's Fischl in a nutshell, to make the everyday deeply unsettling. What a conversation this piece inspires!