 Mahmoud Mukhtar, Egypt Awakening (pink granite), 1919-1928. Mukhtar's statue, which once stood in Ramses Square, and is now located in front of Cairo University, was from its inception viewed as the visual symbol, par excellence, of the nahda project. "The narrative quality of the statue is clear," writes Liliane Karnouk in Modern Egyptian Art. "It juxtaposes two pictographic determinatives in one sentence (sphinx rising plus woman unveiling). Like a hieroglyph, it calls for an objective and collective reading of the image." photo reproduced from Liliane Karnouk, Modern Egyptian Art parent page (30 November - 6 December 2006, issue #822) |