Audioguide by eArs

FATTORIA (FARM) [1954]

If, after spending your entire youth in your homeland, you were forced to live in a totally different - sometimes almost hostile - place, what would you see when you looked at the horizon?
Ligabue saw Switzerland, where he was born and from which he was expelled at the age of 19 with no possibility of returning. This is why the landscapes in his paintings do not closely resemble those of the Po Valley around Gualtieri, the town where he moved. Instead, they blend these surroundings with his memories of the Alps. This mix explains the sharp-roofed towers in the distance—architecture that you wouldn't easily encounter while travelling along the Po River plain.
In a foreign environment, animals were his companions. He continued to pay close attention to outlining their colours, volumes, and muscles. Sometimes, he even captured their characteristic movements, such as those of the cow in the foreground.