Symbolism in Art: The Bird

The most striking elements of this poetic scene are incomplete without a look at the background. The lone table tennis player may exemplify Doig’s interest in human character and form. And the abstract backdrop to his one-sided game may well bring to mind the modernist architecture which the Scottish painter has famously explored elsewhere. Together they form a puzzle, an unfinished narrative, and an arresting visual image that really defies paraphrase.

But look closely at the composition and you may find an important point of reference. In the top left corner, in grey, barely distinct from one of a bare tree branch, or the shade of a bare chest, is a bird in flight.

As we know, birds can be symbols of transcendence. Doig may have settled in Trinidad, but in Native American culture, a raptor such as this would be seen as the incarnation of a spirit guide, the conduit of help from beyond. In ancient times in Western culture, it was also a common belief that birds were messengers from a heavenly plane, and they soared down to earth with important messages.

But whether in the Americas or Western Europe, many of us would expect our important messages to come from the brush of a painter. In this respect the soaring messenger here should only return our attention to the shirtless figure, and his imprisonment within gridlines. Momentarily, can he too transcend? Or is the artist just serving up his best opening point, with heavy backspin?

PETER DOIG, Ping Pong, 2006-2008. Oil on canvas, 94 1/2 × 141 7/10 in, 240 × 360 cm. © Peter Doig. All Rights Reserved / 2014, ProLitteris, Zurich Photograph by Thomas Müller. "Peter Doig" at Fondation Beyeler, Riehen (2014-2015). Collection: Barrie and Emmanuel Roman, bequested to Tate. Source: Artsy