The angel and the devil (the man in a long black coat)can not cease the mental fight. It is the eternal battle between them. The goodness wins. The angel warned the holy family and showed them the way to Egypt. The hourglass is symbolic to time’s inevitable passing. It is a reminder that life is finite but Christ and the faith in him are immortal. The Christ is in the centre of the time , eternity. ( on canvas he is in the center of the composition where diagonals crossed). The hourglass is a symbol of the end of time and also the rebirth and the new beginning when it turned over.The river represents the way, the movement to the goal
Igor Samsonov (2023)