Plate 46. Barred Owl 

John James Audubon's "Barred Owl," presents us with more than mere ornithological illustration. Here, the owl is captured in a moment of predatory focus, its gaze fixed on a squirrel. The owl, long a symbol of wisdom, takes on a darker significance. Throughout history, the owl has been a harbinger of ill tidings, a psychopomp guiding souls to the underworld. In ancient Greece, it was associated with Athena, goddess of wisdom, yet even then, it carried an aura of the uncanny. Consider the owl's piercing stare, a gaze that seems to penetrate the very soul. This visual motif echoes through time, appearing in countless depictions of watchful figures, from the all-seeing eyes in Renaissance portraits to the ever-present surveillance in modern society. This image evokes both admiration and unease, engaging our subconscious recognition of the owl as a symbol of power and the unknown. The owl and the squirrel are locked in a timeless dance of predator and prey, of death and life, echoing through history.