Follow the Rabbit 2020

Michael Cheval seems to be playing a game of dress up with oil paint on canvas in Follow the Rabbit. The colours and marks feel like they're taken from a deck of cards, yellow, black and red all merging to create this almost hypnotic patterning. There’s a real sense of play here, I can feel the joy in the process of making, like Cheval is almost laughing as he paints. The face is like a porcelain doll. The three gloved hands seem like they belong to someone else entirely, adding to the playful absurdism of the piece. Take a look at that texture, thick with impasto. It’s a real feast for the fingers, you just want to reach out and touch it. The whole painting reminds me a bit of Max Ernst, in that it opens up this incredible space of imagination. Art like this reminds us that painting doesn't need to be serious, it can be mischievous, playful, and full of joy.