Nicole Eisenman, “Another Green World” (2015), oil on canvas, 128 x 106 inches (courtesy the artist and Anton Kern Gallery, New York; © Nicole Eisenman)

Nicole Eisenman, “Another Green World” (2015), oil on canvas, 128 x 106 inches (courtesy the artist and Anton Kern Gallery, New York; © Nicole Eisenman)

Eisenman’s paintings state intention and thrive on distraction. They are giddy with punchlines and burdened by existential dread. Her mastery is in bringing the complications of life to bear on bodies. Interiority is always connected to the commotion of blood ’s flow, and whether by way of torture or love, it reaches the surface in a bulbous red nose, a sloppy kiss, a hand’s tightening grip.