Mother Of Inventions 2019

Michael Cheval asks a lot of us in "Mother Of Inventions," it seems to have been made with oil. Look at the way Cheval plays with hyperrealism to build this surreal landscape, a process of layering details until the mundane becomes bizarre. The surface is smooth, almost seamless, but that only adds to the uncanniness of the image. I find myself drawn to the figure seated on the toilet in the background. The unflinching gaze and the almost defiant posture, all rendered in a palette of bruised blues and purples. This figure feels like a grounding element amidst the absurdity, a reminder of the less glamorous aspects of invention and creativity. Cheval seems to be in conversation with artists like Magritte, but while Magritte uses surrealism to question reality, Cheval uses it to celebrate the endless possibilities of the imagination. Art isn't just about what you see, it's about what you feel and how you question.