Finding Moses in the 21st Century

When it comes to painting scenes from the Bible, some stories get a lot more play time than others. Now you would expect that to be the case with scenes from the life of Christ – His birth, death, resurrection. Also, stories like David and Goliath and parables like The Prodigal Son have inspired countless artists throughout the years.

But in addition to these scenes, there is one particular event from the life of Moses that has gotten a lot of artistic attention. No, it isn’t the parting of the Red Sea or the receiving of the Ten Commandments. It isn’t his standing before Pharaoh or sitting before the burning bush. The momentous Moses event that has flamed artistic passions throughout the years is the moment when he was saved out of the Nile River by the daughter of Pharaoh.
Kind of funny that with all the things Moses saw and did in his life, artists chose a scene in which he himself did nothing but cry. I mean, floating around in a baby basket boat is hardly the highlight of Moses’ professional career as a prophet of God.

Today we are looking at two such depictions of The Finding of Moses, both created by Italian painters in the mid-17th century. The first is by Orazio Gentileschi (c. 1633), and the darker painting is by Gioachino Assereto (c. 1640).

The first thing we notice is that neither of the paintings have one drop of historical realism to them. Not that we expect historical realism from Baroque paintings. They were giving us the ‘idea’ of what they were painting. In this scene we know we are supposed to be looking at a Pharaoah’s daughter, a member of the Egyptian royal family. Therefore, we would expect her to be in sumptuous clothes and surrounded by servants, within the styles of ancient Egypt. However, these paintings instead depict her clothed in garments that a 17th century European would recognize as belonging to nobility. It is important to realize that these painters were not history-book dunces. Rather, they were expressing the concept of ‘nobility’ in the language of their own day. If we painted the scene in the idioms of the 21st century, how would it come out different?

Second, notice that both artists position baby Moses on the canvas in such a way as to establish his status as the central figure. The supporting cast assembles their bodies and point their fingers and limbs so as to give Moses prominence. Assereto even highlights Moses with special lighting in contrast to the darker hues.

There is a difference between the two in terms of who surrounds Moses. Assereto includes both men and women, the young and the old. The characters are not uniform in age, gender, or physical beauty. However, Gentileschi paints a homogenous cast of pretty females, all about the same age and physical beauty. In both paintings there is great artistry in the depiction of the human bodies. Gentileschi produces light and graceful female forms. You can almost hear them giggling with delight over their river walk discovery. Assereto delights us with little details like the gentle fingers of a little girl resting on the bulging forearm muscles of the male servant. And the tender touch on Assereto’s princess lets you know she is smitten with affection for the chubby baby.

And that brings us to the reason for choosing these two pieces this month. Consider the relevance of such a story in light of the ongoing moral struggle for the sanctity of human life here in our own country. Circumstances have changed in the 3,500 years since Moses was pulled from the Nile, but has the basic story of ‘defending the helpless’ really been altered that much?

The lives of the helpless are at great risk because the personal benefit of others is exalted over the right of the life. The government either sanctions or gives approval to the destruction of the lives. And with cruel efficiency, the slaughter continues day upon day.
And yet, there are joyful opportunities for individual rescue! Sometimes, instead of being murdered, the innocent and helpless are rescued by other people who put away apathy and forget about the risk inherent with getting involved. Pharaohs and Supreme Court decisions are ignored and innocent life is saved. Future doctors, lawyers, husbands, mothers, teachers, and yes, Bible-writing prophets are saved from swords, scalpels, forceps, and saline solution.

The Moses story has several heroes – the people who prayed to God for a deliverer, the Hebrew midwives, Moses’ parents, and Pharaoh’s daughter. In our own day we must have countless heroes emerge from various places to protect the lives of the helpless.

And you know what? I believe that such heroism for this cause is actually found in the heart of every Christian. The young and the old, men and women, boys and girls, the rich and the poor – everyone should pray to God for His help even while looking for an opportunity to stand in the gap for the defenseless. We won’t all be doing the same thing, but we should all be doing something.

W. Scott Lamb is a pastor with Providence Baptist Church in South St. Louis County, MO. He and his wife Pearl enjoy the challenges and pleasures of raising their four sons. Feel free to contact Scott at www.truthinartblog.com.