Magic of Trivial Illusions 2012

Michael Cheval gave us "Magic of Trivial Illusions," and the way he's layered this canvas, it feels like a backstage pass to a dream. Look at how thinly he's glazed those spectral blues in the background, almost like a faded memory. I imagine him, brush in hand, coaxing out that tiger from the ether, stroke by careful stroke. Then you've got the magician – or is she an illusion herself? – with those crisp lines of her jacket, sharp against the dreamy swirl around her. And those rabbits spilling from her dress! I can almost feel the scratch of the canvas under my fingers, imagining the hours spent rendering each tiny hair. It reminds me of Magritte, this dance between the real and the imagined. It's like Cheval is asking us, “What do you see, and what do you believe?” A reminder that painting, like magic, is all about the art of suggestion.