Walking the dog 

Nigel Van Wieck created this painting of a cafe scene in the 20th Century. The 'EXIT' sign above the doorway bears a peculiar weight. It's not merely a marker of physical space, but a symbol that speaks to our deeply ingrained awareness of life's transitions. Consider, for example, depictions of the soul's journey, often visualized as a passage through doorways or archways in ancient Egyptian art. The exit, the departure, the leaving behind, these are universal themes that surface time and again, signifying not just an end, but the anticipation of what lies beyond. Think of Charon ferrying souls across the River Styx, guiding them towards the unknown. Here, Van Wieck presents a modern-day threshold, a place where one narrative ends and another begins, stirring in us a primal recognition of change and the ever-present pull of the future.