Melody of the Rain 2011

Michael Cheval made this painting "Melody of the Rain" with who knows what! It feels like a dream, right? I'm immediately drawn to how things float and connect, like the way those tiny umbrellas are linked to the figure's hat by these delicate silver chains. The texture is so smooth, it's almost like you could touch it and not feel a thing. Look at how the colors blend, especially in the sky – it gives this incredible depth, like the whole scene is breathing. There's a gramophone in the palm of a hand. That little red record pops against all the blues and golds. It’s as if a world is conjured by this melody, a landscape you can almost walk into. It reminds me a little bit of Magritte, this way of setting up unexpected juxtapositions, like a dream logic. It's this open-endedness that keeps you looking, you know?