Audioguide by eArs

AUTORITRATTO (SELF-PORTRAIT) [1959]

The thinning hair and greying tones indicate that the painting can be placed in the last years of the painter's career. However, one thing remains constant over time: the pose. If you've noticed, it always remains the same.
Ligabue paints himself in a three-quarter profile, with his gaze directed towards his right, as if he were looking into a hypothetical mirror to observe himself.
In reality, as the years pass, he no longer needs this support, relying solely on memory. Nevertheless, he continues to represent himself in this way.
This choice could represent a form of ongoing reference to his early portraits, or it could be a means of capturing the sombre and restless expression that defines him. Alternatively, the painter might be truly delving into his inner self, reflecting not in a mirror but within his own painted image.