Ruth

Luigi Nono's 'Ruth' (1885) depicts the biblical figure from the Book of Ruth — the Moabite widow who followed her mother-in-law Naomi back to Bethlehem and became an ancestor of King David. The gleaning scene (Ruth gathering grain in Boaz's fields) was one of the most popular Old Testament subjects in nineteenth-century painting, combining the touching narrative of loyalty and love with a picturesque rural setting and an attractive female protagonist. Nono's treatment of the subject brought his characteristic sensitivity to the female figure in emotional situations to a time-honored biblical narrative.

Nono renders Ruth with the polished academic technique that characterized his biblical subjects — the female figure carefully modeled, the agricultural setting observed with documentary accuracy. His handling of the outdoor light in the gleaning scene demonstrates his sensitivity to the quality of Mediterranean summer light on the grain field. The biblical narrative's emotional dimension is conveyed through the figure's posture and expression within the conventional iconography of the gleaning subject.