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Rise and Fall of the Horseman
by Giancarlo Biagi

Horse and rider, as a unit, has intrigued us with its composition and inspired artists ever since ancient times. In this issue we have focused on a few equestrian statues that accent our skylines and enhance our public spaces.
One that has always fascinated me is Giovanni Campione’s outdoor tomb of Cangrande della Scala from the early half of the fourteenth century. I am here comparing it to Marino Marini’s, Small Horseman, 1950 - a parallel that masks different eras, contrasting and illuminating the interpretations of an artist.
Cangrande was the third generation in the 127-year-long dynasty of the della Scala family, bringing a time of peace and prosperity to the land—due mainly to the personality of Cangrande I. He was not only politically capable, but his spirit as a benefactor for the arts drew great artistic geniuses to the court, one of which was Dante Alighieri, who was at the time writing The Divine Comedy and dedicating the third canto of the Paradise to Cangrande. Cangrande della Scala embodies the character and the deeds of the lord. Could he be portrayed without a horse? Yes, but the elevated position - mounted on horseback - further heightens his persona. Both rider and horse are looking toward us as if our presence has been noticed and this orientation reinforces Cangrande’s smirkish expression. The horse in this case is a vehicle to elevate mankind and the superiority of the intellect. In Marini’s horse, we have again the heightened position of the horseman, but the artist uses this throne to reinforce the magnitude of the fall - which is not caused by the horse because the horse is stable. The man himself is falling, so the horse in this case is used to convey the instability and turmoil of humanity in the period following WWII.
By comparing past and present, we look for a new interpretation that meets our individual expression and reflects our time - a snapshot of our era. Posterity will then draw its conclusion of the way we were, lived, thought and behaved, even seated on a horse, in my point of view.

Giancarlo Biagi

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Current Issue: Summer 2006