Audioguide by eArs

CAVALLI ALL’ARATRO (HORSES AT THE PLOUGH) [1952]

While in the sow the subject was singular and in the ploughing the various characters were essentially independent of each other, here the scene directly involves all the protagonists, creating a particularly dramatic and dynamic overall effect.
The theme of the bolting horses allows Ligabue to express emotions of great intensity in his painting: the fear of the peasants raising their arms to the sky, the irrational and dangerous panic of the horses, and the feral aggression of the dog leaping towards them.
Three approaches alternate and coexist in the painting: a focus on the anatomy of the animal bodies, especially the horses; a caricature-like rendering of the human figures; and the use of schematic elements from popular prints to depict lightning and rain.
It is clear that, for the artist, the main protagonists are the animals. Perhaps they serve as an expression of his personal inner feelings, finding a form and a way to be released through them.