Butchered Ox 1941

Bruno Cassinari made this painting of a butchered ox using brushes and thick strokes of pink, red and brown paint. I imagine him standing there in front of the easel, maybe with a photo of the ox, starting with the general composition and then building up the painting layer by layer, decision by decision. I can almost feel the weight of the beast, the texture of the flesh, and the artist’s struggle to capture something so visceral and real, as if it was a portrait. The pink and red strokes used to depict the meat are soft and delicate. Maybe Cassinari was thinking about the beauty and fragility of life. Perhaps he was inspired by other artists such as Rembrandt or Soutine who had also painted carcasses. Painters are always riffing off each other. This painting feels both familiar and new, like a conversation that has been going on for centuries. It makes you think and feel in unexpected ways. Each brushstroke is a testament to the power of painting to transform the ordinary into something extraordinary.