Struggle for Hunger, 1951
Ligabue often turned to drawing out of necessity: the simplicity of the medium, the poverty of the required tools, and the speed of execution allowed him to use drawings as a form of exchange for basic needs. One of the most evident characteristics of his graphic production is its discontinuity. Many drawings appear sketchy, lacking the expressive intensity and detailed care found in his paintings.
Results are uneven. In some drawings, Ligabue focuses solely on anatomical rendering, without further expressive intent. In self-portraits, he sometimes slips into involuntary caricature. The expressive power of his paintings, however, fully reemerges in Struggle for Hunger, which preserves, even in black and white, all the intensity of his painted works.
The background reveals an effort to populate the violent act with a crowded surrounding space—an horror vacui that fuels the aggression of the foreground, placing the two fighting beasts on the same plane as a luxuriant nature that itself struggles to claim space on the sheet. Masses are defined through dense black-and-white contrasts, created by the accumulation of strokes that release their tension along the contours of the figures.
By contrast, rural scenes are described more plainly. In Cow with Calf, just a few relaxed strokes suffice to evoke an idyll. Here the animals are rendered with a nineteenth-century realism, focused on the purity of gesture. Even in drawing, Ligabue proves to be an eclectic artist, capable of expressing himself through different styles.