Seeing Red is a narrative based on the cycles of life. The red ribbon intertwined through the bull skull signifies both the life and blood that once flowed through the animal, and as the bright red ribbon threads the eye socket it recollects the fight the animal once had and is where the name of the painting is derived from. The robin sitting quietly on the bulls horn is a traditional symbol for being the bearer of spring, renewal, and new phases in life, further expanding the narrative of cycles in the painting.