The Two Horses, 1952
The iconography of this painting is simple and essential, centered on the two horses who oppose one another by facing different directions. Behind them, a long fence frames and separates the enclosure from a partially defined wooden house. Above the scene looms a vast sky crossed by two large black birds.
While the dark line is fundamental in defining the fence and the house, the horses are built primarily through color, with black used sparingly, only where the painter deemed it necessary. The figures are masterfully rendered with quick, confident Expressionist brushstrokes, recalling the great nineteenth- and twentieth-century traditions of painting these noble animals.
This gestural effectiveness contrasts with the drawn quality of certain details, such as the harnesses. The luxuriant whiteness of the manes, the tousled, restless hair, and the nervous muscular construction of the foreground horse suggest decisive movement, accentuated by the contour of the muzzle, which Ligabue repeats with a brushstroke blended with sky and landscape. The blue background mirrors the animal’s movement, giving the image a clear sense of dynamism.
The second horse is calmer, seemingly gazing at us with curiosity. Its stillness contrasts with the companion, nervously ready to kick. The two characters coexist harmoniously within the painting, their presence enhanced by the formless treatment of the earth beneath their hooves.