They Strut About Elegantly ("Lindamente se pavonean")

Art Historical Context

Leonardo Alenza y Nieto (, 1807–1845), a master of 19th-century Costumbr, captures the whimsical in *They Strut About Eleg ("Lindamente se pavan")*, a lively drawing from the Metropolitan Museum Art's collection. This intimate sheet, acquired through the Dodge Fund in 9, depicts men and in a playful tableau, evoking the strutting pride suggested by the title. Alenza's keen eye for Spanish customs shines through, blending humor with sharp social observation typical of the Romantic-era genre scenes that celebrated—and gently mocked—everyday life. Executed in pen and dark brown ink with brushwork over faint black graphite underdrawing (visible in one face at the bottom), the work exemplifies fluid draftsmanship on off-white paper. Measuring just 7-3/8 x 5-5/16 inches, its compact scale hints at a spontaneous sketch, yet the precise lines and tonal washes reveal Alenza's skill in animating figures with expressive vitality. Costumbrismo artists like him documented regional types and manners, influencing later Realism. This charming piece offers a window into early 19th-century Spain, where animal-human parallels satirized human vanity. Visitors will delight in Alenza's elegant irony, a testament to drawing's power as both study and standalone art.

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...