Jarring Of Concord 2020

Editor: So, here we have Michael Cheval's "Jarring of Concord" from 2020, done in oil paint. There's this odd mix of classical portraiture with... well, what feels like a deconstruction of it. Like a Dutch Golden Age painting that's been given a modern, surreal twist. I'm curious, what stands out to you most when you look at it? Curator: I see a fascinating commentary on the means of artistic production itself. The bagpiper, dressed in period clothing, stands in stark contrast to the tools of a more "modern" artist displayed alongside her. Consider the bagpipes: meticulously crafted objects representing a specific form of labor and cultural tradition. The oil paints, canvas, and brushes behind, although sharing a historical element, demonstrate industrial progress. Editor: I see what you mean. There’s even a frying pan with eggs on that same table, as well as a toy train on the floor—almost as if contrasting modes of creativity are brought to equal footing. The division of labor from various time periods, perhaps? Curator: Precisely! Note how the objects and figures engage in dialogue. There's a tension between high art—the painting, the classically dressed figure—and these mundane objects – consider their materiality and the consumption that goes along with them.. Cheval challenges that hierarchy, highlighting the means through which "high art" is made and consumed. How is a finely crafted porcelain vase, filled with red tulips, a higher commodity than that toy train set? Editor: So it's less about what's being depicted, but more about the story the objects themselves tell about value and artistic processes? Curator: Precisely. It provokes questions of labor, value, and our cultural understanding of what constitutes "art." Editor: This has really shifted my perspective. I initially saw surrealism, but I’m now focusing on the message carried by all of these specific components together. Curator: Absolutely. This painting pushes us to see the social and economic factors shaping art across different eras, how value and labour evolve, and our perception with it.