Ugo Gheduzzi consecrates himself in the Italian artistic heritage by participating in the international exhibition in Rome (1883, Dintorni di Belluno), at the Milan Triennale (1894, The return from work), at the Rassegna di Bologna (1888, Campagna Bolognese, bought by King Umberto I for the royal collections) and winning the gold medal with a painting at the Palermo Exposition (1888, Pietra di paragone).

Subsequently the artist elects as his only hero the figure of the peasant, esteemed in the guise of the authentic savior from the corruption of the contemporary world, emblem of the escape from the inhuman condition of city life and L'aratura is a magnificent example of this.

In the painting, the author does not distract from respect for the hard and daily toil of working in the fields and feels a sort of modest fear that prevents him from grasping people's features. The dense brushstroke, the enameled color, the violent diagonal that dramatically separates the shadow and the light in the foreground, and the geometric shapes of the trees and fields in the background, catch the eye of the spectator and lead him towards the distant horizon.