print, engraving
medieval
old engraving style
19th century
genre-painting
history-painting
academic-art
engraving
realism
Dimensions: height 200 mm, width 145 mm
Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain
This print by Carel Christiaan Antony Last depicts the burning of books during the Council of Nicaea. The act of burning books is a potent symbol, resonating far beyond this historical event. Throughout history, the destruction of texts has been employed as a means to suppress ideas, control knowledge, and erase cultural memory. The symbolic power of fire in this context is particularly striking: It is a primal force, capable of purifying, but also of annihilating. We see echoes of this act in the burning of heretical texts during the Inquisition, and even in modern times with the censorship and banning of literature. This destructive act also has psychological implications as an outward projection of inner anxieties, reflecting the fear of alternative viewpoints. Consider how the physical act of destroying texts is meant to obliterate not just the words, but the very ideas they contain. The image lingers in our collective consciousness, serving as a reminder of the fragility of knowledge and the enduring struggle for intellectual freedom.
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