National Galleries of Scotland

This print relates to a series Bellany made in 1970 that deal with a theme of sexual angst. It shows a naked, shrunken woman whose arms disappear behind her back as though tied together. It evokes the naked figures that feature in Bellany?s paintings inspired by his visit to Buchenwald concentration camp. Behind her is what appears to be a gutted skate, displayed in the manner of the Crucifixion, a metaphor for suffering humanity. Bellany only began to experiment with printmaking when he started teaching at Winchester College of Art, in 1969. His prints utilise the same imagery and symbols as his paintings, and here the Crucifixion recalls his painting from 1964 titled `Allegory?.