Levitation 

Curator: Looking at Sabin Balasa’s oil painting "Levitation," I am immediately struck by its fantastical atmosphere, a quality enhanced by the dreamlike state of the floating figures. Editor: Yeah, it has this ethereal, floaty feeling, like when you're half-awake and think you can glide just above the ground. The colors are muted, lending it a certain mystery. Curator: Absolutely, Balasa masterfully uses the oil paint to achieve this smooth, almost airbrushed quality that emphasizes the figures’ otherworldly existence. Considering similar mythological themes throughout art history, how do you think it stands out? Editor: The stylized hair, almost like water itself, contributes to the sense of motion and fluidity. But honestly, the composition makes me a little uneasy, those nude figures seemingly adrift...are they rising or falling? Curator: Ah, there you touch on a key duality. The theme of figuration often deals with representing the human form, but here the arrangement in relation to the seascape invites questions. Is this levitation celebratory, or a tragic expulsion? Nudes in art carry many messages, depending on their relation with nature, for example. Editor: Well, they seem a little disconnected, floating away from something toward... what exactly? Is the light on those rocks welcoming or warning? And is there a deeper story to that rock arch in the background? Curator: The rock arch is interesting. In dreams, doorways and arches symbolize passages, transformative experiences. Perhaps Balasa positions them at the crossroads of nature, dreaming, and being. Editor: Crossroads, yes, like a surreal pilgrimage or flight of souls across some unknown watery threshold! I initially dismissed it as fantasy-art but maybe it really reaches toward something more. Curator: I agree that Balasa’s image moves us away from a straightforward genre categorization and opens us to interpret it through our own personal lens. Editor: It feels timeless. After all these minutes dissecting, its emotional ambiguity is strangely captivating. I can now understand why it stays with the visitor long after they have left this spot in the museum.