A couple of weeks ago, Ukraine's leader met with Pope Francis to ask for his support. They exchanged gifts. Zelenskyy presented the pontiff with a icon, a painting of the Madonna and Jesus... but with a twist. The image of Jesus had been covered over with black, making it appear to be a void where the child Jesus would be. Here are a pair of links to publications that covered the story. https://www.easternherald.com/2023/05/17/zelenskyy-insulted-the-pope-with-an-unsuccessful-gift/ https://tsarizm.com/news/eastern-eu...painted-body-armor-worn-by-ukrainian-soldier/ What do you think about this? Appropriate? Inappropriate?
There is probably no right or wrong answer here. Zelenki himself is Jewish and the president of a 95% Orthodox Country, and the sense of conveying something of the significant loss, the loss of innocence. The Pope is the Western Patriarch, and the Soviet invasion has received significant support from the Russian Orthodox Patriarch. Where is Jesus in all of this? I am not sure the image is not more art than Icon. The idea of the Icon is to gaze through the icon, as one looks through a window, to see the deeper truth that lies beyond. This image is much more in the tradition of art-politic where the clear intention is to make a statement. You may find the statement uncomfortable, but perhaps not as uncomfortable as being invaded by Russia. The source links provided are from pro-Russian sources that suggest Ukraine was the initiator of the War. Although I acknowledge the decline in journalistic objectivity in the West, I believe these sources are still more credible than Russian state-controlled media channels.
To me it seemed to be a bizarre and ill-conceived selection for a gift to a pope. Also, I am inclined to take it as further evidence that Zelenskyy's judgment is not very good. I think I've found a somewhat better story link: https://www.westernjournal.com/zele...ive-gift-pope-francis-offend-every-christian/ Sure enough, this 'artwork' doesn't really qualify as an icon at all; it's a new, modern piece made in the style of an icon. The story also shares some possible reasoning behind the piece's creation.