He Looks and Doesn't Recognize Himself ("Se mira y no se ve") 1807 - 1845

This is Leonardo Alenza's etching, "He Looks and Doesn't Recognize Himself," made using brown ink. The composition is stark. A figure peers into a mirror, a cluster of grotesque faces leering from above. The mirror itself reflects a distorted visage. The scene is rendered with a dense network of lines. Light and shadow interplay. The strategic hatching creates a sense of depth and unease. Alenza uses the mirror as a semiotic device, destabilizing the boundary between reality and illusion. What does it mean that a man can literally look in a mirror and not recognize himself? The grotesque figures perched above are a cultural code, alluding to societal hypocrisy and inner demons. The distorted reflection is not just a physical representation. It's a challenge to fixed notions of identity, engaging with philosophical concerns about the self. The formal qualities of the etching invite us to question the nature of perception, the stability of self-identity, and the role of art in revealing uncomfortable truths.