Naudline Pierre's paintings are complex tales of becoming that mine references from art history, contemporary culture, and the artist's own visual language. In Held and Beheld, 2022, Pierre plays with and remixes recognizable supine forms from the Western canon, such as Michelangelo’s Pietà and Manet’s Olympia. The world created within Held and Beheld is painted in various shades of red, a power color in Pierre’s mythos. The hues change from a deep blood vermillion to a vibrant hot pink. A striking brocade of black and bone colored flames encircle Pierre’s protagonist as they consume the world around her. A gate, one of entry points to this realm, stands firmly closed in the background, while a feather-covered winged figure presides over the scene with a glowing silvery flame in her hand.