Christopher Martin’s
Panther & Arrows (2021) is a striking meditation on strength, pain, and endurance. Executed in bold black and white on a large-scale hanging linen banner, the work depicts a stylized panther pierced by multiple arrows — a powerful image that channels both mythic symbolism and modern emotional resonance.
Rendered in Martin’s signature minimalist aesthetic, the composition distills raw emotion into clean linework and stark contrast. The panther, fierce yet wounded, embodies resilience in the face of adversity. Despite being struck repeatedly, its body remains taut and defiant — teeth bared, claws extended — transforming injury into an emblem of survival.
The image recalls traditional heraldic and spiritual motifs, where animals represent inner virtues or human states of being. Here, the panther becomes a totem of endurance and transformation, bridging the physical and the metaphysical. The surrounding black field serves as both void and backdrop, amplifying the visual tension between violence and grace, suffering and strength.
Created in 2021, Panther & Arrows resonates as an allegory for perseverance amid chaos — a reflection on collective struggle and personal fortitude. The use of a banner format evokes protest, ceremony, and devotion all at once; it is as much a flag of resistance as it is a contemplative icon.
Through its simplicity, Panther & Arrows achieves profound impact — a visual mantra for survival and transcendence, and a continuation of Martin’s exploration of symbolic imagery as a path toward healing, awareness, and spiritual courage.
