Whisper of Explosion by Michael Cheval

The proverbial Garden of Eden will always captivate the imagination. Forbidden knowledge has a price and it has been an innate human desire to seek what is beyond our reach. It is human to be curious of many great, fascinating things.

I love the way innocence is captured in these two lovers. Though I am not sure if the apple is really that fruit of wisdom in the immortal garden, the point is that lust can be a powerful force that moves even the purest of hearts. The tree of life looks like a morbid twist of sin, carefully hiding the serpent of desire. This work in oil is an ingenious depiction of alternate realities.

More About the Artist:

Michael Cheval is the world's leading contemporary artist, specializing in Absurdist paintings, drawings and portraits.

Born in 1966 in Kotelnikovo, a small town of Southern Russia, Cheval developed passion for art in his early childhood. When his family moved to Germany in 1980, the West European culture made a great impression on the young artist.

In 1986, he moved to Turkmenistan and graduated from Ashgabad school of Fine Art. Absorbing Eastern philosophy and the character of Central Asia, he began working as an independent professional artist, shaping his style and surrealistic direction. His decision to immigrate in 1997 to USA began a new epoch for the artist. He returned to the Western culture that greatly inspired him in his German youth, but now he brought his own experience, his philosophy, and vision.

What do you believe in?

In his definition, "absurdity" is an inverted side or reality, a reverse side of logic. It does not emerge from the dreams of surrealists, or the work of subconsciousness. It is a game of imagination, where all ties are carefully chosen to construct a literary plot. My paintings are maps of my journey into illusion. My work is often metaphorical and requires a sharp eye to decipher the often hidden allusions.