Hawk with prey

Seen from the front, the bird of prey occupies the work in a central position, firmly holding with its right paw a prey that we cannot identify, whose inertia and whose position denounce the laxity of death.
The whole image represents the triumph of the winner, his strength, his aggression and violence, his satisfaction with the excitement of capture. Ligabue's knowledge in building the plumage of the animals here reaches not only refined but innovative solutions, such as the concentration of the story in a single image.
The position of the bird recalls that of many other birds of prey: frontal, with the wings slightly open, the head with the evident deadly beak and the neck projected forward aggressively.
But in this truly original work, it is the position of the left paw projected forward and sustained that tries to bring pieces of meat to the mouth and the bristling crest of feathers on the head that accentuate the wild and ferocious appearance, in addition to the large curved nails and cutting edges that hold the now inert victim in a firm grip, thus giving this image an extraordinary power and a disturbing character.
A few brushstrokes in the background on the right, indicating the tops of conifers, suggest a landscape, a habitat for this ferocious predator. The use of the black contour stroke is reserved only for some details to accentuate its importance and narrative function, while the entire plumage has an extraordinary lightness and softness that contrast with the greedy and predatory attitude.