Antonio Ligabue: Seeing Nature
Naïve painter Antonio Ligabue has often been compared to other famous untrained artists like Henri Rousseau and Vincent van Gogh. Like them, Ligabue developed a special affinity with the natural world. While living a life between nervous breakdowns and psychiatric wards, he produced an incredible body of work ranging from imaginary orientalist themes to realistically raw representations of his beloved countryside in Emilia Romagna. This lecture reconsiders Ligabue’s paintings of animals as an expression of empathy with the natural world rather than the tired mental illness cliché celebrated by art historians.
Commissioned by the Italian Institute of Culture in Chicago 2022