Outrunner’s Halt 2020

Curator: What a captivating tableau! We're looking at Michael Cheval's painting, "Outrunner's Halt," completed in 2020, using acrylic paint on canvas. Editor: My first impression is one of serene incongruity. The details are rendered with such realistic precision, and yet, the composition as a whole feels like a dream. What is that giant snail doing on her hat? Curator: Indeed! Let's delve deeper into the elements. The artist seems preoccupied with contrasting textures. Look at the worn leather of the boots, clearly used for heavy labour, positioned alongside the fine weave of the woman’s sunhat. The juxtaposition of her functional attire suggests a traveler, perhaps even someone on the margins of a more ordered society. Editor: That is certainly a useful jumping off point. Notice also how the figure is posed, she's seated, at ease yet guarded; she has a letter nearby. Is she waiting or resting, or both? Cheval seems to play with the boundaries of fantasy and reality. How do those material conditions you point out reflect this woman’s placement, physically, but also perhaps socially and psychologically. Does the snail on the hat indicate social class perhaps? Curator: An interesting perspective, the snail introduces this whimsical surrealist quality to an image which is at first realistic, this helps make sense of the somewhat strange combination of clothes. Let us consider where her clothes came from and what processes where necessary for each part of her attire. Perhaps here the juxtaposition of function and fashion allows for Cheval to poke at the role and meaning of production and making. The discarded boots imply a hard-won journey! Editor: And think about the power dynamics at play. Her clothes, which at a glance appear rather folksy, suggest historical costuming or folk culture. This reference can then perhaps imply that these items have become a commodity in the market place and open up larger discussions about access to cultural capital. This makes the snail less nonsensical than it seems on first glance, but a meaningful component in the portrait. The longer one views this image the more a compelling story emerges around labor, access, identity and gender, no? Curator: It's a brilliant exploration of how art can play with these familiar symbols to challenge traditional ways of interpreting narrative, and materiality. I see this work as also part of his wider examination of the boundaries between "high" and "low" culture through technique and style. Editor: I agree. And on top of everything we mentioned this remains such a thoughtful portrayal. It asks the viewer to actively engage and interrogate preconceptions in an artwork. I'm particularly keen on the interplay between reality and representation, suggesting a dream-like contemplation on labor.