The Exhibit in Villa Fiorentino
Over sixty of Antonio Ligabue’s lively works are currently on display in Sorrento at Villa Fiorentino.
His works on display include oil pastel paintings and sculptures mostly depicting landscapes, animals, and self-portraits.
The exhibit is open from August 5th to November 16th, 2024.
About Antonio Ligabue
Ligabue was part of the expressions list movement, similar to Van Gogh and Munch, which is a modernist movement originating in Northern Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.
This form of art was meant to come from within the artist rather than depicting the outside world.
Color, shape, exaggeration, and distortion are common features of an expressionist painting.
These features emerged in Ligabue’s work as he is often described as an eccentric, tortured soul.
His life was never smooth sailing as he was born in Zurich in 1899 to an unmarried Italian woman, but was informally adopted into a Swiss-German family.
He had issues blending into his new family and an altercation with his host-mother occurred where he was sent to a psychiatric clinic.
In 1919 it came to light that the adoption was not official and he was expelled from Switzerland to Italy where his parents were from, despite not knowing the language.
He began to paint in 1920 as an escape from the pain and loneliness of his life and devoted himself to his artwork, gaining much inspiration from the Po River.
Ligabue was then institutionalized again in 1937 and 1945, where he remained for three years.
Ligabue’s Paintings
In 1948, his paintings drew the interest of journalists, critics, and art dealers.
He had his first exhibition in La Barcaccia Gallery in Rome in 1961.
His art interested people as there was so much emotion displayed in each oil pastel mark.
His animal portraits were especially eye-catching because he acted as if he were the animals in the painting, containing immense feelings of anger, jealousy, and revenge.
This was his vice for managing the pain, like many other expressionist artists.
His most famous paintings include “Tiger’s Head,” “Self-Portrait,” “Leopard,” and “Eagles with Fox” which are all displayed at the Villa Fiorentino Exhibit.
When looking at the paintings you can imagine what Ligabue was feeling with each stroke and looking into the animal’s eyes, you can almost see straight into his.
Ligabue is an exact embodiment of the Expressionist movement because he conveys his disturbing inside world so accurately.
The Exhibit
Villa Fiorentino does a fantastic job of honoring Antonio Ligabue and his works.
Upon admission, there is a 15-minute documentary about his life, an audioguide, and four rooms of his work.
Walking through the exhibit is like walking through his life and feeling those pent-up emotions from a difficult life and mental health issues.
His best times were when he was painting and that is such an inspiration for people who may be going through a tough time themselves.
Ciao,
Emma
