St. Dominic Burning Heretical Writings 1490

Domenico Ghirlandaio painted this fresco, St. Dominic Burning Heretical Writings, on a wall in Santa Maria Novella, Florence. The composition features two groups of figures flanking a central flame. Ghirlandaio's use of color creates a striking contrast between the somber dark robes of St. Dominic and his followers on the left, and the brighter, rose-colored garments of the heretics on the right, drawing our eyes immediately to the burning pyre in the middle. The fresco is structured around a visual and ideological binary. The vertical lines of the architecture and the figures create a sense of order and stability, while the flame introduces an element of disruption. The act of burning books is a powerful symbol, representing the suppression of dissenting ideas. The painting also engages with semiotics, where the robes, gestures, and even the flame serve as signs. The robes and the flame are potent signifiers within the cultural code of 15th-century Florence. This mural presents not just an event, but a constructed narrative about power, belief, and the suppression of alternative discourses.