Roll Over Beethoven 2014

Michael Cheval made "Roll Over Beethoven" out of oil on canvas, and the precision is kind of wild, right? I mean, the way he renders the cello and the face of Beethoven feels almost photographic, yet set against a dreamscape. It’s a funny thing, this tight realism mixed with the surreal. There's a lot going on – a harlequin perched on an egg playing cello, a checkerboard floor warping into perspective, and glowing orbs scattered around. What catches me is the flatness of that harlequin outfit against the depth of the egg. Cheval's playing with surface and depth, almost like a stage set where the props are more real than the actors. It feels like a nod to Magritte, maybe, with a bit of Dalí’s theatricality. But where those guys were all about uncovering hidden anxieties, Cheval seems to be aiming for something lighter, a playful exploration of reality. Art, after all, is just another way to mess with what's real and what's not.