I really do understand what you are saying. However, this Westerrn art is NOT iconography in any Orthodox sense because the writing and Holy message is totally missing. The style of Orthodox Iconography is totally missing in it's simplicity and dignity. It is Renaissance art here in this image and the Western Renaissance was a product of a Western Christianity that produced unholy separation from the Universal and truly Catholic Church. This came from AI and AI as a corrupt concept becayse it endows technology with only something God Created humans can have, that is true intelligence, and not fake multidimensional programing that simply puts things together based on engineered algorithms and garbage spewed out on the Internet based on input from some person’s imagination. This incident should scream out to all that Orthodox Christianity is the true and unadulterated way of the ancient church. If I were president I would be offended to be depicted in such a manner and I would make it known. God is in control and He allows this kind of thing to send out a strong message that our society is depraved and we better wake up now.
Following along the general lines of what you've written here, you might find interesting a conference last year at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology: "Do the divine and digital intersect?" You can find a summary here https://orthodoxobserver.org/ai-conference/. I spoke with one of the conference organizers and the plan is to publish the papers in the near future.
Regarding the substance of your observation, it seems to me that you are assuming that the Orthodox Church has a proprietary relationship with the term "iconography." As for the AI created image of President Trump, this isn't done in anything remotely like "Renaissance art." Rather, it follows the artistic conventions that we see in most Evangelical Christian art. To suggest that the former is the bitter fruit of "a Western Christianity ... separation from the Universal and truly Catholic Church" is a polemical dismissal of the West that doesn't take into account the use of Renaissance artistic conventions in Russian iconography. Whatever one thinks of the artistic integrity of these icons, it is a fact that from the 17th c onward, Russian iconography (and indeed theology) took on a distinctively Western cast.
To assert that AI is corrupt because it "endows technology with only something God Created humans can have, that is true intelligence," is to make literal what is only metaphorical. Yes, many people do this. But it does not serve the Gospel when Orthodox Christians make the same mistake.
Finally, whether or not the AI generated image of President Trump "should scream out to all that Orthodox Christianity is the true and unadulterated way of the ancient church," I will leave to other to determine. I would like to point out that the tendency among some Orthodox Christians to adopt a polemical tone in response to Western Christianity, modernity, and technology (to name only three), is likely less than helpful.
Thankyou Father for your thoughtful reply. I was raised Roman Catholic and converted to Orthodoxy at the age of 28. I tried other Christian sects like Baptist. The Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox and Iconography that provided a powerful visual of the Divine are but two aspects that make much more coherent sense that our Westernized brothers and sisters. I am afraid that we Orthodox are drifting towards the big mistakes of Western Christianity such as too much involvement in governments that are focused on godless activities. In the past the Church cooperated with government. I know that. However, it was government that embraced Orthodoxy. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the Church is not associating itself with godless actions of government. I see in Greece and other Balkan Countries that the church is careful to maintain decorum. However in Russia, Ukraine, and the USA Churches are blatantly taking sides in political things that are an anathema. We have a schism caused by politics that have nothing to do with Theology. We have, like the AI "art" that is the subject of this thread, activities that are blasphemous. To me the Orthodox emphasis on mystery is spot on with our Lord Jesus's teachings and example. Our Lord rightly chastised the lawyers and Our Lord emphasized that His Kingdom is not an earthly nature but is of the Divine. I know that you know all this. I am just suggesting that we distance ourselves from political zealots and try to embrace others the traditional way with a bit more skepticism of technology and more caution. I have found myself sinning due getting distracted by technology. I see Satan is very crafty in using technology as a trap. Of course technology can be good but I see it being abused like in how this image was generated that started this thread. Christ is Risen.
I really do understand what you are saying. However, this Westerrn art is NOT iconography in any Orthodox sense because the writing and Holy message is totally missing. The style of Orthodox Iconography is totally missing in it's simplicity and dignity. It is Renaissance art here in this image and the Western Renaissance was a product of a Western Christianity that produced unholy separation from the Universal and truly Catholic Church. This came from AI and AI as a corrupt concept becayse it endows technology with only something God Created humans can have, that is true intelligence, and not fake multidimensional programing that simply puts things together based on engineered algorithms and garbage spewed out on the Internet based on input from some person’s imagination. This incident should scream out to all that Orthodox Christianity is the true and unadulterated way of the ancient church. If I were president I would be offended to be depicted in such a manner and I would make it known. God is in control and He allows this kind of thing to send out a strong message that our society is depraved and we better wake up now.
Thank you for your comment.
Following along the general lines of what you've written here, you might find interesting a conference last year at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology: "Do the divine and digital intersect?" You can find a summary here https://orthodoxobserver.org/ai-conference/. I spoke with one of the conference organizers and the plan is to publish the papers in the near future.
Regarding the substance of your observation, it seems to me that you are assuming that the Orthodox Church has a proprietary relationship with the term "iconography." As for the AI created image of President Trump, this isn't done in anything remotely like "Renaissance art." Rather, it follows the artistic conventions that we see in most Evangelical Christian art. To suggest that the former is the bitter fruit of "a Western Christianity ... separation from the Universal and truly Catholic Church" is a polemical dismissal of the West that doesn't take into account the use of Renaissance artistic conventions in Russian iconography. Whatever one thinks of the artistic integrity of these icons, it is a fact that from the 17th c onward, Russian iconography (and indeed theology) took on a distinctively Western cast.
To assert that AI is corrupt because it "endows technology with only something God Created humans can have, that is true intelligence," is to make literal what is only metaphorical. Yes, many people do this. But it does not serve the Gospel when Orthodox Christians make the same mistake.
Finally, whether or not the AI generated image of President Trump "should scream out to all that Orthodox Christianity is the true and unadulterated way of the ancient church," I will leave to other to determine. I would like to point out that the tendency among some Orthodox Christians to adopt a polemical tone in response to Western Christianity, modernity, and technology (to name only three), is likely less than helpful.
In Christ,
Fr Gregory
Thankyou Father for your thoughtful reply. I was raised Roman Catholic and converted to Orthodoxy at the age of 28. I tried other Christian sects like Baptist. The Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox and Iconography that provided a powerful visual of the Divine are but two aspects that make much more coherent sense that our Westernized brothers and sisters. I am afraid that we Orthodox are drifting towards the big mistakes of Western Christianity such as too much involvement in governments that are focused on godless activities. In the past the Church cooperated with government. I know that. However, it was government that embraced Orthodoxy. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the Church is not associating itself with godless actions of government. I see in Greece and other Balkan Countries that the church is careful to maintain decorum. However in Russia, Ukraine, and the USA Churches are blatantly taking sides in political things that are an anathema. We have a schism caused by politics that have nothing to do with Theology. We have, like the AI "art" that is the subject of this thread, activities that are blasphemous. To me the Orthodox emphasis on mystery is spot on with our Lord Jesus's teachings and example. Our Lord rightly chastised the lawyers and Our Lord emphasized that His Kingdom is not an earthly nature but is of the Divine. I know that you know all this. I am just suggesting that we distance ourselves from political zealots and try to embrace others the traditional way with a bit more skepticism of technology and more caution. I have found myself sinning due getting distracted by technology. I see Satan is very crafty in using technology as a trap. Of course technology can be good but I see it being abused like in how this image was generated that started this thread. Christ is Risen.