Guardian Angel II 2020

Editor: Here we have Michael Cheval’s oil on canvas, “Guardian Angel II,” created in 2020. The two figures in the center, toasting with wine, seem almost suspended between the weight of the past and some fantastical oversight. What do you make of this collision of realism and fantasy? Curator: Collision is a good word! It feels like looking through a kaleidoscope of possible lives. Aren’t the figures on either side, emerging from the arboreal forms, like memories or premonitions swirling around this central couple? Are they trapped in history, or liberated by it? Editor: I hadn't thought of them as memories... almost like characters from a play. Is that central figure with the large headdress supposed to be the Guardian Angel, observing their choices? Curator: Perhaps! She embodies a theatrical almost god-like perspective, doesn't she? Her gaze seems to penetrate more than protect. I’m wondering, what’s the emotional temperature of the piece? Is it hopeful or melancholic? Does that shared glass of wine signify joy, or a farewell? Editor: I’m leaning towards melancholic now that you mention it, like they’re being watched and judged by all these past… figures. Curator: But maybe that’s the point, right? To feel the weight, acknowledge it, and *still* raise a glass? I like that. I also feel that maybe the surreal style reminds us to see things from more perspectives at once! The potential in their decision could take the couple down multiple paths. Editor: So, instead of a singular fate, we're seeing the possible routes their choices could set them on. This piece definitely offers a lot to think about! Curator: Exactly! Maybe the Guardian Angel isn't a protector but a reminder of our multifaceted, ever-shifting potential.