General folly

A conglomeration of enigmatic figures huddles together in a dense mass. A number of figures can be distinguished amidst the confusion. On the right of the composition, a woman with a feline face and a broad habit holds a group of kittens on a cushion. She seems to be offering them to another figure in clerical garb with the face of a cat, kneeling in front of her, who reaches out her arms to pick up the litter. Behind is a tangle of agitated bodies, including a snouted head and a woman, held by other figures, who has a baby snatched from her arms or, perhaps, pounced upon. At the bottom, a bearded old man with the appearance of a prophet sits on the ground reading a book. Next to him a figure in an attack stance confronts a small figure with a rapier that emerges from the dark background. This mysterious little personage is often identified with Napoleon because of the cap he wears and the weapon he carries. Perhaps Goya wanted to interpret the situation in Spain during the Napoleonic invasion. In front of him stands a heroic boy who represents the resistance of the Spanish people against the occupying forces.

Horror vacui makes it difficult to find meaning. Some see the decadence of Queen Marie-Louise's court in the figure of the kittens because of her predilection for these animals. The gentleness with which she treats them contrasts with the rudeness with which the baby is handled. There is also a criticism of religious practices, as the litter sits on a cushion covered with a Christian skirt and is offered to a priest or clergyman as if it were to be baptised.

The light is arranged on some parts of the figure as if in patches, but the light on the man reading the book os brighter and clearer, as if trying to focus the viewer´s attention on him, perhaps because ir holds the key to the meaning of the print, as his 

spirituality and tranquillity contrast with the degeneration around him.

The figures emerge from the dark background of the aquatint, some of which almost merge with it. The space is indeterminate. All that can be made out is a floor on which the figures sit, executed with lines of etching.

The preparatory drawing for the present print, also titled General folly, it has been preserved