Ultramarine Blue 

Editor: This is "Ultramarine Blue," a pigment manufactured by Liquitex. It's a vibrant jar of dry color, displayed alongside a color calibration chart. What symbols or meanings do you see embedded in this simple presentation of color? Curator: Ultramarine itself carries centuries of cultural weight. Originally derived from lapis lazuli, it symbolized wealth and spirituality, reserved for royalty and religious icons. How does this "manufactured" version alter that inherited symbolism? Editor: It feels like a democratization of art, perhaps? A modern take on a classical color? Curator: Precisely! The jar, the label, the chart – they strip away the mystique, revealing the color as a commodity, a tool. Does this impact how we perceive the color itself, its inherent emotional impact? Editor: I think seeing it alongside the chart makes it feel more objective, less precious. Curator: An interesting observation. It makes me reconsider the cultural baggage associated with color in our modern, commercialized world.