Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

The previous print, "42 Everything's a Mess," depicts carefree monks, but in this work they appear to be fleeing from somewhere as fast as they can.A sketch kept in the Prado Museum shows the monks fleeing the cathedral.In addition, it can be inferred that the monastery was completely emptied following the issuance of the Edict of Perpetual Emancipation by the then King of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte.The Emancipation of Perpetual Property Act confiscated and auctioned unproductive land that had been owned in perpetuity through inheritances or donations.The purpose of the decree was to increase national wealth and promote land ownership among the emerging bourgeoisie, middle class, and peasants.