Genesis and meaning of "Lo staffato" by Giovanni Fattori in Macchiaioli painting

The rider, thrown from the saddle and now exhausted, desperately tries to slow the animal's दौड़ by grabbing the ground with his hands, leaving an impressive trail of blood behind.

The idea for Lo staffato was suggested to Fattori by a literary friend, the writer Renato Fucini, who recalled its origin in Acqua passata:

«One day, while watching him paint a war scene, where there was a large group of soldiers on horseback fleeing, I asked him: "Has the idea of depicting a staffato, in these charges, in these flights, ever come to you?" He looked at me in astonishment, with a questioning expression. Always him! He did not know what a staffato was. I explained it to him, he liked it and immediately painted the work that aroused admiration and was promptly and well purchased by a wealthy and intelligent admirer»