"On the border" (c. 1928) by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
Unamuno wasn't only a renowned author. He had a fondness for drawing, and many of his sketches can be found today in the House-Museum of his life. They teach us about what he liked, his interest in nature, and his peaceful daily life. Come and learn about this interesting, unknown facet of the thinker's life.
Apprentice painter
Unamuno spent his childhood and youth in his hometown of Bilbao. He attended drawing and painting classes in the studio of the painter Antonio María de Lecuona Echániz. His interest in everything around him sparked his creativity and prompted him to depict it in vibrant drawings.
Drawing of Concepción Lizárraga by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
His family: model and muse
Unamuno's artistic preferences changed with time. In 1891, he married his childhood sweetheart Concha Lizárraga. This marked the point when he started to create more emotional drawings, reflecting the intimacy of his home and the peace of his family life.
Self portrait by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
An unmistakable profile
Unamuno was always faithful to his style. From a young age, he maintained his austere style of dress, sporting his characteristic glasses and beard.
His drawings include a large number of self-portraits, which reflect the most familiar image of the intellectual.
“And in this trouble, I turn to the very pen I use to trace these lines, and use it to draw my profile …”
Church of San Juan de Sahagun by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
Salamanca in his pocket
Unamuno moved to Salamanca with his family after securing a post as a professor at the university, and lived a quiet life there. He loved taking walks around the city with his sketching pad, transforming the urban landscape into the great protagonist of his creations.
In this period, he took numerous trips around the region. The writer's drawings also featured Salamanca's countryside, jobs, and inhabitants, which served as inspiration for his literary work.
"Christ´s head" (c.1900) by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
Drawing a sentence
Despite Unamuno's internal struggle between faith and reason, he professed a great devotion to the figure of Christ. He depicted his image in beautiful drawings, delivering a passionate visual prayer.
The collection features numerous small portraits of friends such as the painter Darío de Regoyos y Valdés and the writer Jacinto Benavente y Martínez. They are simple sketches, made at social gatherings or when the friends were relaxing, and reflect the trust between model and artist.
Ordinary people
Several of the drawings are of anonymous subjects, normally shown in profile. Their depictions of ordinary people bring the viewer closer to the daily life of the time. Bourgeoisie figures, laborers, young women, and children, who could well be the society that featured in Unamuno's writings.
An environmentalist in action
Unamuno loved nature. He recycled all the paper he used, using it for different things. He would write on the same sheet of paper several times, draw on old envelopes, and even made paper figures for the children to play with. Did you know about the writer's environmental side?
"There were trees before there were books, and perhaps there will be trees after there are books. And perhaps humanity will reach such an extent of culture that it will no longer need books, but it will always need trees, and then we will fertilize the trees with books"
Portaal van de universiteit van Salamanca (ca. 1850 - ca. 1863) by Clifford, CharlesRijksmuseum
The courtyard of his house
For many years, Unamuno lived right next to the University of Salamanca's main courtyard, the Patio de las Escuelas Mayores. He enjoyed strolling around the surrounding area and, in his spare time, drawing the ornaments that adorned the university's celebrated façade. Come and take a look
An illustrious illustrator
Unamuno's novels, for which he also provided illustrations, include The Life of Don Quixote and Sancho (Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho), Abel Sánchez: The History of a Passion (Abel Sánchez: Una Historia de Pasión), and Love and Pedagogy (Amor y Pedagogía). The illustrations were sometimes highly allegorical, for example a dejected Sancho Panza crying at the feet of a crucified Don Quixote.
Ursulas Monastery, Salamanca by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
A paper treasure
The collection of drawings consists of around 300 sketches, usually in pencil or ink on small sheets. These works represent a highly valuable legacy, essential to researching and learning about the writer's most intimate world.
"Writing is my craft and drawing is my craving"
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