Imagine IV 2019

Curator: Michael Cheval’s “Imagine IV,” painted in 2019, truly stops you in your tracks, doesn’t it? A surreal orchestration unfolding before us in oil paint. Editor: My initial reaction is one of complete fabrication; a fantastical dream sequence realized in oil paint, but those are obviously apples! The texture just *begs* to be understood, right? Curator: Absolutely. There's such intentional placement here—like the gramophone resting just outside the circle beneath. It hints at mass production of dreams... making magic available, consumable, even. I am struck by how cleverly the artist weaves personal vision with broader themes. Editor: Look closely at the material of her blouse though—zebra! The means by which materials become the objects that carry culture… Weaving hides her, yes? Curator: Hides her but also *reveals*. She and Lennon are seated on a surface mimicking the Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park. Each small tile a collective memory, but rendered here on, is it fabric? That blurs the line further, doesn’t it, between permanence and ephemerality? This reminds me so much of Lennon and all of us when we use dreams as our protection Editor: Fabric, tiles... either way, Cheval forces us to see the labour that constitutes memory. Consider the paint itself – layered, almost obscuring faces lurking amidst foliage that resemble John, Paul, George, and Ringo! Curator: The ghostly Beatles hovering... The work pulsates with nostalgia. You're so right, how the manual crafting creates echoes of labor within each painted stroke; this lends such an interesting dimension to its illusionary narrative. Like building the dream, brick by individual brick, note by laborious note. Editor: I completely agree. I initially missed the apples. In our consumption-driven world, Cheval slyly places these mass symbols into this "intimate" space—inviting commentary on the culture industry. The artist's hand isn't invisible here; it's vital, it guides our perspective toward larger issues of power within seemingly gentle art. Curator: It does provoke reflection; dreams are rarely simple constructs. Cheval's layered reality feels simultaneously whimsical and incisive, challenging how we build and share cultural stories and legacies. I appreciate noticing this seemingly innocent painting opens onto a very sophisticated conversation. Editor: And hopefully spurs people to question where "dreams" really come from—who benefits, what work does it require and enable, all while they enjoy Cheval's truly striking picture plane.