Spiritualized 

Curator: Here we have Cassidy Rae Marietta's work, titled "Spiritualized." The artist uses acrylic paint to bring to life this intriguing image. What are your first thoughts on it? Editor: Visually, it's intense, almost overwhelming. There's this feeling of…entanglement. The colors, the lines—they create this incredibly busy, almost psychedelic scene, like peering into someone's vivid dream or maybe nightmare. Curator: Absolutely, and the title “Spiritualized” lends itself to the psychedelic interpretation. Consider the resurgence of interest in spiritualism within certain communities, particularly on platforms like Instagram, and how artists might use platforms to broadcast those views. How does this acrylic medium tie into Marietta’s intentions with such images? Editor: Acrylic paint as the chosen medium speaks volumes. It's accessible, relatively inexpensive, and allows for layering, crucial in achieving this densely packed image. Its ease of use probably enables the artist to fully render this vision in its complexity. You also get smooth surfaces to create these distinct outlines. Curator: Precisely. Notice how the naked form serves not as a symbol of classical beauty, but becomes more like an anatomical diagram. Marietta here explores how this almost clinical rendering is absorbed and mediated in various popular styles or platforms, especially manga or cartoons. It suggests the blending of traditional humanistic study and modern media, maybe a type of synthesis. Editor: The use of the nude really grounds this piece, gives us the immediate sense of human intimacy as well as a clear departure point. In doing so it gives weight and presence to a rather heady composition. This isn’t merely a trip; it’s rooted in very human connections. Curator: That's well said. This contrast perhaps highlights the conflict between our spiritual or emotional selves and the increasingly detached modes through which we now engage. Or maybe even a more hopeful message about spirituality made human through accessibility? Editor: There’s a certain boldness here that seems intent on embracing both the messy and the sublime. Curator: Yes, Marietta's "Spiritualized" certainly provides much food for thought about art's function, from academic disciplines to the digital age. Editor: Agreed. The artwork successfully prompts us to reconsider the material, social, and stylistic layers that shape perception.