He Looks and Doesn't Recognize Himself ("Se mira y no se ve")
1807–45
Medium
Pen and dark brown ink with traces of black chalk underdrawing. Composition outlined with pen and dark brown ink on all sides. On off-white paper
Dimensions
7-5/16 x 5-1/8 in. (18.6 x 13.0 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dodge Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.29.28
Tags
Art Historical Context
Leonardo Alenza y Nieto (, 1807–1845), a key figure in Spain's costumbrismo movement, captures everyday life with wit and satire in *He Looks and Doesn't Recognize* ("Se mira y no se ve This intimate drawing likely depicts a man gazing into a mirror, confronted by an unexpected reflection—perhaps his inner "animal" nature, as suggested by the tags for animals, men, and. Created during the Romantic era, it reflects 19th-century Spanish interest in human folly and self-deception, blending humor with social commentary. Executed in pen and dark brown ink over traces of black chalk underdrawing on...
About the Artist
Leonardo Alenza y Nieto · 1807–1845
Leonardo Alenza y Nieto (1807–1845) was a Spanish painter and caricaturist whose brief life produced a body of work remarkable for its satirical wit, psychological penetration, and painterly freedom. Born in Madrid, he trained at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the preeminent institution for artistic education in Spain, where he absorbed the technical foundations of academic pai...