The Bannister 1981

Will Barnet created this print, titled "The Bannister". Notice the black cat, a motif laden with cultural baggage. In ancient Egypt, cats were revered, embodiments of grace and divinity. Yet, fast forward to the Middle Ages in Europe, and we find the cat demonized, a symbol of witchcraft and ill fortune. Here, the cat sits sentinel beside a young girl. The bannister acts as a visual barrier, almost a cage, separating her from us. The girl's downcast eyes evoke introspection. Consider how the 'melancholic gaze' has been depicted across centuries, from classical sculptures to Renaissance portraits. It speaks to a deep, perhaps subconscious, human fascination with states of contemplation and solitude. What does the artist want us to feel when seeing this? The cyclical journey of symbols reveals how cultural memory shapes our interpretation. Just as the cat has traveled from sacred icon to sinister omen, its presence here invites us to reflect on the ever-shifting meanings we project onto the world.