Ship of Fool 2021

Michael Cheval, born in 1966, made this painting, Ship of Fools, with oil on canvas. Look at how the creamy whites and golds of the ship and its pipes are rendered against the moody blues and purples of the sky and sea! I’m drawn to the texture of the waves. Cheval uses visible brushstrokes, layering the paint to create a sense of movement and chaos, while above, the sky is more blended. Those tassels hanging from the ship's edge, they're like little anchors, trying to hold onto something in all this turmoil, or maybe they're just surrendering to the flow. It makes you wonder: are we supposed to be battling the waves or learning to dance with them? This whole scene has a dreamlike quality, kind of like Magritte, but with its own absurdist twist. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about finding the right answers; it's about embracing the questions.