Artist Michael Cheval Tells the Stories Behind His Fall Art
Many artists are drawn to the unique colors and sensations of autumn, and that includes Absurdist artist Michael Cheval.
“I love autumn,” Cheval says. “I love the season when colors are becoming so intensive, the smell of wet soil and a rustle of fallen leaves.”
But, for Cheval, fall is more than just brightly-colored foliage.
“Every year, Nature reminds us how short our life is,” Cheval says.
“Enigma” (2015), Michael Cheval
Rather than anything morbid, Cheval sees autumn as something as cyclical and mysterious. Similar words have used to describe Cheval’s art—many art lovers have spent hours debating the hidden meanings of the artist’s famously complex creations.
While Cheval always encourages viewers to draw their own conclusions, he graciously provided Park West Gallery with his personal interpretations of two of his latest artworks set during the fall season: “Flippant Benevolence” and “Sounding Silence.”
To put you in the mood for fall, here are Cheval’s explanations of these enigmatic, autumn-themed works in his own words:
Flippant Benevolence
“Flippant Benevolence” (2017), Michael Cheval
“Everyone knows the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf? And, of course, everyone knows what happened to the gullible girl and her grandmother and angry wolf. And what if it was not so? For the artist, there is no dogma and any subject may be amended and supplemented.
“In this painting, the girl met a baby wolf and has treated it with milk. She does kind work, and thanks to this, mother-wolf does not eat the girl and her grandmother and our tale will have a completely different end. After all, kindness always triumphs over evil.”
Sounding Silence
“Sounding Silence” (2017), Michael Cheval
“What sounds echo from our past, what forgotten melodies and voices? Voices of those who are no longer beside us, music that we can no longer remember, rustle of leaves, a murmur of rain … All that happened long ago and seemingly not with us.
“The melody remains in our memory, but we are unable to reproduce it, as if there are not enough keys on our old piano. These keys form a twirling path that leads far into our past. Following this path, our youth leaves us. Only the rustle of fallen leaves remains, or the rustle of a stranger’s dress, perhaps the rustle of an old record. Such is the sound of our memory’s silence.”
Park West Gallery’s Fall Sale features these works alongside 14 other artworks by Cheval. Each image belongs to a limited edition series of digital multiples on aluminum. For information on how to collect the works of Cheval, contact our gallery consultants at (800) 521-9654 ext. 4 during business hours or sales@parkwestgallery.com.
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