Flying and Other Excesses ("Volando y otros excesos") 1807 - 1845

Editor: So, this is "Flying and Other Excesses" by Leonardo Alenza, an etching made sometime between 1807 and 1845. It's a pretty unsettling scene—dark, grotesque figures riding… something? What do you make of it? What's your take on Alenza’s work here? Curator: Unsettling is spot on. It reminds me of those dreams where gravity is optional and everyone's invited to the masquerade ball of the subconscious. The grotesque figures perched upon what appears to be a giant…owl, perhaps?… it's pure, unadulterated Romantic-era imagination, channeled through a critical lens. Think Goya’s darker moments, seasoned with a dash of the absurd. What excesses do *you* see in it? Editor: Well, clearly the "flying" part! But also, I guess, an excess of... almost despair? Or is it mockery? The figures are so physically...exaggerated. Curator: Precisely! Exaggeration is key here. Alenza uses it to poke fun at societal follies, maybe? Look at their faces – some are almost comically miserable. Others, just blank. Are they being swept along willingly, or are they victims of some grand cosmic prank? What do you feel when you focus on that single female nude seemingly being pulled into the flight? Editor: Oh wow. I hadn’t really focused on her… Now that you mention it, she almost looks like she's being sacrificed. Maybe that's another "excess"? The exploitation of vulnerability? Curator: A perceptive reading. Her presence does bring in the theme of sacrifice. Perhaps the flight itself is a metaphor for escaping the mundane through self-destruction. Or maybe Alenza is just messing with us, laughing behind his etching needle. It's beautiful, no? Editor: It is! Before, I only saw this grotesque image. But, thinking of Romanticism and excess and even potential sacrifice… wow, thanks. I see so much more! Curator: My pleasure. And to think, all we needed was a flying owl of the mind!