Audioguide by eArs

ARATURA (PLOUGHING) [1934] 

Compared to the previous painting, the sow, in this ploughing we can see  new elements that reveal the gradual development of a painter.
The oxen, in particular, are depicted with notable complexity. They are no longer just horizontal silhouettes but are positioned with a sense of perspective. The careful representation of these animals contrasts sharply with the extreme simplification of the ploughman, the only human subject in the painting, aside from the carter in the background. Depicting the human figure in its natural context is certainly complex, especially for someone who is largely self-taught. Ligabue often approached this challenge in a simplified, caricature-like manner, except when it came to portraits, as we shall see.
In the background, the rural landscape begins to appear, the meticulous description of which will be one of our painter's distinctive features.