Audioguide by eArs

LEOPARDO SULLA ROCCIA (LEOPARD ON A ROCK) [1960]

Here, Ligabue abandons the animal fight theme for the moment to depict a Leopard in a majestic leap, in a luminous and elegant oil painting. Alongside the rural landscapes that blend the countryside of Emilia with the panoramas of Switzerland, Ligabue's paintings also present glimpses of wild and exotic nature, inhabited by tigers, gorillas, and leopards. Where do these subjects, so distant from the painter's own experience, originate?
Probably from zoology books, popular lithographs, children's illustrations, or from the cinema, which he greatly enjoyed. It's not surprising to learn that during fight scenes in movies, Ligabue rooted for the animals!
We cannot be certain because the painter did not directly copy from these sources. He portrayed animals from memory, demonstrating an impressive ability to mentally reconstruct scenes, evident in his meticulous attention to anatomical details and vivid depiction of movements.