Danger Aloft – Ptarmigan 1927

Archibald Thorburn captured this watercolor, "Danger Aloft – Ptarmigan," presenting a stark Scottish landscape under a foreboding sky, where ptarmigans symbolize vulnerability amid the harshness of nature. The hawk circling above introduces an age-old motif: the predator, or messenger of death, that has been used since the Classical era, such as in Roman art depicting triumphs and battles, where eagles symbolized power and imminent threat. This symbol re-emerges across cultures, from medieval tapestries showing noble hunts to modern cinema, where soaring birds often signal impending doom. Here, the birds’ alert stance evokes the primal, instinctive fear present in the collective unconscious. Think of similar images of prey animals found in cave paintings or ancient friezes. This universal fear of predation deeply resonates, engaging viewers on a profound, subconscious level, thus emphasizing the ever-turning wheel of life and death.