Nino Zagni - Man Riding a Donkey

The painting can be defined as a genre scene, that is, the depiction of an episode of everyday life that, apparently, lacks any significant element. These types of domestic subjects were long considered minor and only began to spread in Western art starting in the 17th century. Only with the development of 19th-century realism did everyday subjects become considered as important as historical or religious ones. The artist Nino Zagni, a quintessential naïve figure, favors subjects connected to his hometown, the countryside and village life of the Ferrara area. For this reason, his works primarily feature episodes of agricultural work and scenes of everyday life.

The stylistic approach that characterizes Nino Zagni's artistic career can be compared to the Naïve movement. The Naïve artist is by definition self-taught, someone who hasn't attended an art school but has found inspiration within himself. Stylistically, this translates into figurative painting that offers a simplified interpretation of reality, with infantile and unwittingly primitivist overtones. However, even the Naïve artist, in his spontaneity, possesses a self-awareness that leads him to develop a distinct aesthetic language, distinguishing it from amateurism. In particular, in Nino Zagni's stylistic language, we observe a certain flattening of pictorial space and a reduction of contingent data in pursuit of an expressiveness based on more spontaneous features and primary values. The palette is always based on bright colors, revealing this painter's genuine folksy streak.

Nino Zagni was a painter originally from San Nicolò d'Argenta in the Ferrara area. He was an artist deeply connected to his world, to the peasant life that unfolded on the banks of the Po di Primaro. His artistic career can be compared to that group of Naïve painters, close to the Emilian peasant world, who were inspired by the nearby experience of Antonio Ligabue.

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