AI images have become an unavoidable roadside attraction on Facebook and other social media, where dramatic and outlandish depictions of emotional scenes lure users into doling out likes, shares and “Amens.” Among the funhouse images of fake children crying in the street and police officers saving inexplicably huge Bibles from the rain, countless depictions of Jesus Christ seem to take up an outsized amount of AI real estate. It makes sense.
Paul’s Cathedral in Liège, Belgium in the 1800s has become a beloved part of art history lore. The first, “L’ange du mal,” was created by artist Joseph Geefs, but was removed from the church because church officials worried about its effect on female worshipers and reportedly said, “the devil is too sublime.” It was replaced by a different sculpture by Geefs’ brother, Guillaume.