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SCULPTURES

Ligabue encountered sculpture even before painting, because he was immediately able to draw clay from the banks of the Po river. Especially in the early days, the artist did not bake his works, but allowed them to dry naturally, resulting in more fragile results.
Few specimens remain of this production, which were only cast in bronze after his death.
One of his earliest works that we find in this room is the sculpture of a dog, entitled Cane, with its synthetic and static style, especially when compared to more mature works such as il Bue Magro or the Skinny Ox in English. In the Ox, a more realistic portrayal of the animal emerges, showcasing detailed fur and well-defined volumes of the body, marked by visible ribs and folds of skin. This realism is complemented by a narrative dimension that captures the bovine in slow motion during its work in the fields. The subjects of the sculptures are similar to those in the paintings, with animals being even more prominent. In contrast to the numerous self-portraits found in his paintings, Ligabue sculpted only one, which is currently on display in the exhibition.

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LEOPARDO (LEOPARD) [1957]

The theme of animal combat not only persists over time but also across different landscapes: what occurs in the countryside between Switzerland and Emilia is echoed in the exotic settings of jungles or savannahs. The Leopard enters the painting diagonally, capturing the viewer's attention primarily through the mastery of its spotted coat decoration, accentuated by the interplay of light and shadow on the body's contours.The diagonal of the beast divides the surface into two parts: on the left, fleeing antelopes; on the bottom right, a scene with horror-like contours. Here, we see a human skull and a giant spider surrounded by other insects. These images evoke, on one hand, popular narratives like fairground spectacles and films of the era, which exaggerated elements of thrill, and on the other hand, they symbolically allude to the tragic aspect of the main scene: the horror and fear of an unrelenting struggle.

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TESTA DI TIGRE (TIGER'S HEAD) [1956]

Can you imagine the roar of the tiger in your mind?
Ligabue portrays the animal with a symmetrical elegance that echoes Art Nouveau decorations.
Despite never having the opportunity to observe such animals firsthand, he never relied on preparatory drawings or sketches, even when depicting subjects so unusual for his everyday life. It's as if the final result had already taken shape in his mind before he made the first brush stroke.
In fact, his preparation followed a less conventional approach: he would identify with the animal, mimicking its posture with his own body, attempting to recreate the scene he intended to paint, even vocalising sounds. He would roar and snarl at the canvas just like a real tiger. Perhaps it was through this kind of ritual that he infused so much vitality into his works.

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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.

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AUTORITRATTO (SELF-PORTRAIT) [1959]

The thinning hair and greying tones indicate that the painting can be placed in the last years of the painter's career. However, one thing remains constant over time: the pose. If you've noticed, it always remains the same.
Ligabue paints himself in a three-quarter profile, with his gaze directed towards his right, as if he were looking into a hypothetical mirror to observe himself.
In reality, as the years pass, he no longer needs this support, relying solely on memory. Nevertheless, he continues to represent himself in this way.
This choice could represent a form of ongoing reference to his early portraits, or it could be a means of capturing the sombre and restless expression that defines him. Alternatively, the painter might be truly delving into his inner self, reflecting not in a mirror but within his own painted image.

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AUTORITRATTO (SELF-PORTRAIT) [1954]

The self-portrait is one of Ligabue's most frequently painted subjects.
While paintings with animal or natural themes may allude to the emotions and impulses running through the painter's consciousness, in his self-portraits, Ligabue confronts us more directly.
In the imperfections of this face, which he outlines almost mercilessly, we can discern the signs of a challenging existence.
From the earliest months of his life, Ligabue's family faced financial hardship and resulting malnutrition, which led to him suffering from rickets, skull deformities, and stunted physical development. These legacies would impact his body and psyche for years to come. However, the power of these portraits also resides in their depiction of the invisible—such as the sense of loneliness and anguish that the artist communicates through his gaze and certain metaphorical details, like the solitary crow flying in the background.

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AUTORITRATTO (SELF-PORTRAIT) [1957]

Some people, when they start writing on a sheet of paper, realise towards the end of the sentence that they're running out of space. They then hurriedly adjust their handwriting to fit it all in. In this painting, and in other works by Ligabue, something similar likely occurred. In all his self-portraits, he always started with the eye, building the rest of the figure from there. During this process, perhaps realising too late that the space was insufficient, he improvised an original solution by distorting the elements in the lower part of the painting, like the legs and the stool.
In the lower part of the painting, the hand clutching a wine flask adds a playful tone to the overall composition. In these self-portraits, Ligabue not only bluntly displays his imperfections but often combines them with details or disguises that have an ironic and light-hearted air, such as in some portraits where he shows himself wearing different types of hats.

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RITRATTO DI ELBA (PORTRAIT OF ELBA) [1935]

While in his natural landscapes human figures seem to be more simplified, in portraits Ligabue depicts human figures without simplification, with the same care as for animals in the other works.
Elba's portrait juxtaposes idyll and a sombre note.
On one hand, we see a little girl in a colourful dress with wildflowers in the background. On the other, a storm cloud threatens the left corner of the painting, while light softly illuminates her pale, gaunt face. Some imagine the entrance to the cemetery of the village of Gualtieri at the end of the avenue on the right.
Legend has it that the portrait depicts a little girl who died after falling into a cauldron of hot water. In reality, it is Alda Bianchi, the daughter of two villagers, who died of illness in 1935.
Whether reality or legend, the tragedy explains the hints of unease we see in the painting.

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CACCIA AL CERVO (DEER HUNTING) [1945]

This painting dates back to the period when Ligabue was interned for the third time in the psychiatric hospital in Reggio Emilia.The Deer Hunt is probably a familiar image to you. It's a stereotype: a motif you may have seen before in a picture, engraving, illustration, or on an ornament..
Ligabue uses stereotypes in many of his works. However, he manages to give these familiar figures new life, infusing them with drama and a vigorous realism.
Even though these scenes are already stereotypes, Ligabue himself depicts them multiple times, creating a sense of endless combat through repetition.
But what does this struggle really represent? A stereotype can also be an archetype, depicting a feeling that resides within us. The continuous struggle seems to reference our unconscious, to drives that we may not be able to describe but can associate with the scene we see.

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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.