A joyful beach scene, a lazy afternoon with friends, a dog, umbrellas, towels on the sand, a smile on everyone’s face, blue sky, strong light…all of these components make for a magnificent, joyful composition. This work is a particularly intimate one, as it features Fischl’s wife, April Gornik (whose work is also featured in the America: Now and Here portfolio). This photograph belongs in a series of “beach” collages that Fischl made after visiting St. Tropez in the 1980s, where he had his first contact with nudity in a public place. “The experience of being there was so overwhelming that I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I had no idea how I felt about it.”

This photograph transmits a strong sense of friendship and familiarity, of people comfortable with each other and with their bodies. Eric Fischl has the unique talent of transmitting a joie de vivre in his collages, which makes him one of the most acclaimed artists of his generation.