Ni así la Distingue (Even Thus he Cannot Make her Out) by Francisco Goya (Interpretation and Analysis)

Ni así la Distingue
Source: Museo del Prado

Spanish artist Francisco Goya is known as one of the leading artists of the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that developed in eighteenth century Europe; the movement encouraged people and governments to act in more logical and rational ways that were based on scientific study and observation of the natural world. Goya, as a member of the Enlightenment movement, was particularly bothered by superstition and backwards social customs more generally.

In a series of prints entitled Los Caprichos, Goya set out to identify and criticize the many faults of Spanish society, which was mired in centuries-old superstitions, corruption, and outdated social customs at the time. Goya was particularly interested in exploring the relationships between men and women, which were disproportionately dominated by hypocrisy and exploitation at the time.

A large number of the Los Caprichos prints focused on this theme. Ni así la Distingue (which translates to Even Thus he Cannot Make her Out) is one such print. The piece depicts a man and a woman walking together in an outdoor environment. As they walk, the man examines the woman carefully with a monocle while she gives him a coy smile. Two other women study the couple from the background.

While the Los Caprichos prints also examine the relationships between predatory men and vulnerable women, in this piece it is the man who is at risk. The context and caption of the piece imply that the woman is a prostitute, bent on tricking and fleecing the man, who perceives her to be a lady. The man’s careful examination of the woman pokes fun at his obvious naivety and social ineptitude. The joke is that he cannot see what’s right in front of him. As one contemporary commentator remarked, “How can he make her out? To know what she is, eyeglasses are not enough; one needs wisdom and knowledge of the world, and that is precisely what this poor gentleman lacks.”

Here, Goya criticizes the man for his foolish credulity as well as the woman for her duplicitous trickery. While this particular type of relationship is highlighted in Ni así la Distingue, the piece speaks to the larger problem of dysfunctional social relationships that are based on lies and hypocrisy. The problem of deception is addressed again and again throughout Los Caprichos, marking it as the premiere social ill in Goya’s worldview.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.