The Ringing Silence of the Moon 2017

Michael Cheval’s painting seems to conjure a dreamscape of the artist’s mind. Just look at how all these disparate elements—the figure, the moon-shaped boat, and the strange telephone—somehow float together in a harmony of color and composition. I imagine Cheval, standing before the canvas, layering glazes, each stroke adding to the mystery. What’s she listening to? What does the moon have to say? The surface almost glows with an inner light, doesn't it? The palette of blues, reds, and golds—the richness of it. Look at the shadows, soft and blurred, and the way he builds up the forms so you can almost touch them. It reminds me of how Magritte's paintings always felt like a challenge to reality. Both artists work with the unexpected. It feels like you're stepping into someone else's idea of a world, a place where anything is possible. This kind of vision—this is what art’s all about.