Thomas Aquinas Kills a Chatbot, and Other Drawings. Also, a New Interview.
Traditionally, the feast of the great theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas is celebrated tomorrow, on the 7th day of March. I have drawn serveral pictures of him over the years; my favorite might be a miniature in the bas-de-page of a drawing of St. Albert (one of St. Thomas’s teachers) from 2013.
According to legend, Albertus Magnus had spent thirty years devising an oracular head, a mechanical device that could answer questions posed to it. Thomas Aquinas smashed it to pieces. Different versions of the story say that this was out of annoyance, or of fright; I prefer to think that St. Thomas had prophetic insight into the evils such devices could and would cause.
While I generally avoid putting my religious drawings on everyday merchandise, I thought that this small scene was timely and appropriate and humorous enough to make an exception:
I have added the above image to my Redbubble store, where it can be ordered on shirts, sweaters, stickers, magnets, and mugs.
It was pointed out to me that in this miniature, I depicted St. Thomas batting right-handed, whereas his surviving handwriting suggests that he was left-handed. I could pretend that this was a deliberate choice, to say that I consider Thomas Aquinas the Rickey Henderson of theologians or something; but the truth is, I just didn’t think to check this.
Here are two other drawings I have made of St. Thomas Aquinas, both of which pair him with another saint: Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas More, respectively.
Click on the images above to read full descriptions or to order prints.
I recently sat for an interview with Patrick Blonski of the Holy VII podcast. We discussed many subjects related to medieval art, its history, and its symbolism. The interview can be watched on YouTube here.