View of the Convent of San José in Saragossa set alight after bombing by the invading French army during the Napoleonic war in Spain 1808 - 1814

Fernando Brambila’s print captures the Convent of San José consumed by flames during the Napoleonic War. Fire, the dominant symbol here, is not merely destructive; it is transformative. Throughout history, fire has signified purification, renewal, and divine wrath. Think of the fires of Vesuvius preserving Pompeii, or the biblical tales of fiery judgment. In Brambila's print, the inferno engulfing the convent evokes both terror and a sense of purification through destruction. Consider how, across cultures, fire rituals mark transitions—birth, death, and rebirth. This image engages our collective memory, tapping into deep-seated fears and fascinations. The subconscious responds to fire as a primal force, capable of obliterating the old and birthing the new. The emotional impact of witnessing such devastation is profound, triggering both fear and a strange sense of catharsis. Thus, fire persists—a recurring motif, forever shifting yet eternally present in our shared visual lexicon.