Here, There And Everywhere 2019

Curator: Let’s delve into this striking piece by Michael Cheval, a work entitled "Here, There and Everywhere," created in 2019 using oil paints. It’s quite a statement, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Oh, immediately, I feel this melancholic dreaminess. John Lennon seemingly observing his own Mad Hatter's tea party beside a serene canal, draped in these luxurious colours. Very lush and romantic. Curator: Cheval often blurs the lines between Surrealism and Romanticism. There’s a clear attempt to engage with history and a modern lens on artistic expression. The surreal imagery is there, of course, but it's placed into something accessible. Editor: Yeah, I catch the realism, and yet I’m instantly trying to invent my own narrative! His expression invites pondering. The almost too perfect topiary contrasted against that curious little hat with what looks like moving gears... what is it *all* trying to say? Curator: Given the title references to the Beatles song, it's tempting to look at it from the perspective of fame and scrutiny. Perhaps it’s about public image versus private turmoil, the performance against the internal machinations? Editor: True! What a stage he’s made for himself! Sat on a bridge. That sense of performance... of reflection on the other side... it makes the image intensely personal. As an artist, I find the symbolism quite compelling! I want to know *exactly* what was going through his head, even as I project myself onto that bridge, contemplating my own gears and gardens. Curator: And that makes Cheval’s work so powerful—it allows for so much projection! Thanks to its blend of history, artistic technique, and social commentary, there are so many ways to discuss its influence and interpret it as an allegory. Editor: Totally. And even with its classical oil painting presentation, he still allows our minds to run, offering a new and quite unique language. It's almost cheeky how effortlessly we are pulled in! What else is waiting behind the next bend in the river, or in our own inner gears? It is quite gorgeous and introspective. Curator: Indeed, there’s no single way to interpret what we're seeing! Editor: What a delightful labyrinth of art historical threads to pull on today!