Friends Will Be Friends 2019

Michael Cheval painted "Friends Will Be Friends", and the textures are so smooth, it almost feels like you could touch the jester’s ruff without getting paint on your fingers. It’s the kind of finish that blurs the line between painting and illusion. The artist isn't afraid to get playful with the paint! There’s this tension between hyper-realism and the totally absurd; planets hanging in the background like decorative baubles, the bizarre little cakes on the plate, each element carefully rendered. Take a look at those cakes on the plate – are they cut in half? The artist is inviting us into a world where the familiar rules don’t quite apply. This piece reminds me of Magritte, with his knack for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, or maybe even a touch of Dalí's surreal theatrics. Just remember, art is an ongoing conversation and embracing ambiguity is key!