Wind Of Renunciation 2020

Editor: This is Michael Cheval's "Wind of Renunciation," created in 2020 using acrylic paint. It's... quite a trip! I'm struck by how dreamlike and symbolic it feels. What do you make of it? Curator: A trip indeed! Cheval masterfully invites us into a surreal landscape where the boundaries of reality blur. Notice how the figure seems composed of both human and mechanical elements, almost as if a clockwork mechanism lies beneath their regal attire. Doesn’t that contrast of nature and artifice spark some questions? Editor: Definitely. The clockwork is strange. Are those literal gears under their coat? And the hat... is that a weather vane sticking out? Curator: Precisely! I see that hat as a humorous, albeit bizarre, instrument for sensing which way the "winds of renunciation" are blowing. Perhaps it represents a reliance on external indicators in making internal decisions. Do you find a similar tension in other elements, such as the juxtaposition of the solemn, stoic figure with that rather vulnerable, nearly nude character gathering the coins? Editor: Now that you mention it, the figures do seem to represent two parts of the same conflict: a willingness to let go and regret it. It feels incredibly personal. Is that typical of Cheval? Curator: Cheval consistently navigates the deeply personal. His use of recognizable symbols in bizarre contexts pulls at your subconscious. I read this figure’s sadness as a yearning to be set free. You could spend hours plumbing the depths of that hat alone, let alone the implications of a 'wind of renunciation'. Don’t you think? Editor: It is a bit of a rabbit hole, isn't it? This makes me see the artwork in an entirely new light. Curator: Wonderful! Sometimes art's greatest magic lies in posing far more questions than it answers.