From the Sculptor’s Studio

As Anna Meszaros describes her work

There is dark stone which, as well as serving the purpose of being the background support onto which the bronze is mounted, is also incorporated into the philosophy of the design. The ominous solid dark presence is to represent the dark and oppressive force of Pharaoh’s regime.

There is a stream of water running along the rock from top left to centre right. The water is to represent the flow of life even where there is darkness. Water is a feminine element and also represents a life-giving force. We also have Moses’ mother placing her baby into the water to carry him away from danger to safety.

All of the women play their own role in helping guide the life-giving water through the deadly Pharaoh’s rule. The first two are the midwives who are stopping a boulder from falling onto the stream and blocking its flow. This shows the gentle but powerful impact they have. The third figure is Moses’ sister who, by keeping watch over Moses, is playing her own role in keeping the water – ‘life’ – flowing. She is guiding the water around her mother who is in turn placing Moses into the living stream. The reeds engraved into the stone remind us of the riverside setting.

The final figure is Pharaoh’s daughter. She is seen emerging from the rock itself as she has effectively come from Pharaoh’s dark regime. However she is good and she takes Moses from the stream and nurtures him into becoming the pinnacle figure that he is. She is also shown to be guiding the water through to the end of the rock to freedom.

 

For the concept behind the commemorative sculpture, click here.