Two Horses 1624 - 1663

Francesco Allegrini created this small ink drawing, "Two Horses," sometime in the 17th century. The composition features two horses rendered with delicate, almost scribbled lines that define their forms and create a sense of movement. The dominance of line over color creates a fascinating interplay of light and shadow across the bodies of the animals. Allegrini's mark-making is not just descriptive but also expressive. The texture of the ink on paper lends a tactile quality to the image, as if we could feel the coarse hair of the horses. The compact, almost square format of the drawing, focuses our attention on the structural relationships between the two horses. The semiotic weight here is intriguing. Horses, throughout art history, often symbolize power, virility, or freedom. Yet, Allegrini's treatment seems to destabilize these traditional meanings, presenting the horses in a rather humble, intimate manner. He challenges our preconceived notions of the heroic animal. The drawing invites us to continually interpret and reinterpret the symbolic meanings embedded within its visual structure.