The Two Mothers – Giovanni Segantini

On the left is the figure of the bovine mother as she feeds, while the small calf rests beside her. On the right, instead, there is the woman who, from excessive fatigue, lets herself sink into a deep and serene sleep. She is seated on a milking stool, wears a dress that reaches down to her ankles and clogs on her feet. Her head is bowed downward and covered with a scarf. Her child rests on her knees. Completely wrapped, he lets an arm fall loose during sleep.

Using a late-19th-century Divisionist painting technique, Segantini displays his skill with the effect of a lantern inside a stable, in a work dated 1889 with high emotional intensity. The artist relates human and animal love in the condition of motherhood. The artist's wife and his newborn son posed for the work