Magic of Trivial Illusions 2012

Michael Cheval created this painting, Magic of Trivial Illusions, which is a wild ride of imagery and, if you ask me, a very self-aware title. There's a hyper-real quality to the work, but look closer, and it all gets a bit wonky, like a dream half-remembered. The magician at the center has a very particular gaze; everything is meticulously rendered but the logic of the thing is completely sideways. The textural contrasts are jarring: the smooth skin of the reclining figure against the furry bunnies hopping out of her skirt is unexpected, to say the least. My eye keeps going back to that tiger in the clouds; it's so soft, almost like a mirage, a detail that blends into the sky, yet it holds the whole composition together. It reminds me of Magritte, who was also interested in the absurd and illogical. Ultimately, painting is a trick, an illusion, a magic act that invites us to question what we see.