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Actually Good AI-Generated Bible Art with DALL·E 2

OpenAI recently released DALL·E 2, an AI that takes written text and turns it into an image. A project I’ve been working on takes stories from Genesis and Luke, feeds them to the AI, and creates images out of the text. For example:

An oil painting of a giant whale swallowing a city. In the style of Hieronymus Bosch.
“No sign will be given this generation except the sign of Jonah” (Luke 11:29–32). This image doesn’t literally reflect Jesus’ words here (he doesn’t mean a giant whale), but in my opinion it captures the intent of his saying, that that signs that he’s the Messiah are as obvious to anyone willing to hear as a whale landing on a city.

See all 828 AI-generated Bible images in this project. Below is a selection of my favorites, followed by a longer description of my methodology. Hover over any of the images to see the prompt that generated it.

Noah the patriarch planting a vineyard of grapes and dancing in it while drunk. Oil painting.
Noah getting drunk in his vineyard (Gen 9:20–21). You don’t see this story illustrated often.
A family tree made of glass, with the different colors representing different family members. The tree is spreading across the globe. Inspired by Dale Chihuly
Descendants of Noah (Gen 10). A Chihuly-inspired glass sculpture of a family tree.
Melchizedek the king of Salem presenting bread and wine to the patriarch Abraham. Pointilistic drawing in the style of Seurat.
Melchizedek presents bread and wine to Abram (Gen 14:18–24). Pointilism in the style of Seurat.
A meteoric fireball exploding above an ancient city. Oil painting in the style of Hieronymus Bosch.
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24–25). In the style of Hieronymous Bosch.
A painting in the style of Gustav Klimt depicting twins infants, a dark-haired Jacob and red-haird Esau, wrestling in the womb.
Jacob and Esau wrestle in the womb (Gen 25:19–26). Another part of the story you don’t often see illustrated.
A tiny sculpture of Rachel and Leah fighting over a handful of mandrakes, with the sculpture itself being made out of mandrakes. In the style of British sculptor Henry Moore.
Rachel and Leah arguing over mandrakes (Gen 30:14–15). Don’t remember this story? I didn’t either. But the tiny sculpture conveys the bitterness and pettiness of Rachel and Leah.
Pointilist drawing of Jacob and the Lambs. This drawing depicts a shepherd and his flock of dark and spotted sheep and goats. The colors are warm and soothing, with speckles throughout echoing the speckles on the animals.
Jacob and the spotted lambs (Gen 30:25–43). I imagine that this image is of Laban, who looks down to realize that all the sheep are spotted. The pointilistic style reinforces that theme.
A sculpture of two stone heaps with a figures of two men, Jacob and Laban, leaning on them in the background, carved in basalt by Michelangelo.
Jacob and Laban build stone pillars (Gen 31:45–54). This image depicts Jacob and Laban after they’ve built two stone pillars of friendship. I think it’s funny how it looks like one of them is pushing the other off, reflecting that maybe erecting these pillars hasn’t resolved everything between them.
A painting with of a family tree in various colors representing different tribes. In the style of Mark Rothko.
The descendants of Esau (Gen 36). Another family tree, this one supposedly in the style of Rothko but is much more representational than his work usually is. The AI does a surprisingly great job at artistic family trees.
A hand holding colorful rags in the foreground, while in the distance a caravan of camels recedes into the hills. The background has muted colors, while the foreground is dark and vibrant.
Joseph’s brothers sell him (Gen 37:28). This photorealistic image reflects the rare time when the AI gave me exactly what I wanted. Here I imagine that Reuben is holding the fragments of Joseph’s robe while he watches the merchants carry Joseph away.
A group of hungry ancient Egyptians waiting in line for food. Oil painting in the style of Edward Hopper.
People come to Egypt for food (Gen 41:56–57). A Great Depression-style breadline in Egypt because of the famine in Joseph’s time.
A closeup of an ornate, empty silver cup lying in a burlap sack filled with grain, with a shocked face of a bearded man appearing in a reflection on its surface..
The silver cup (Gen 44:12). Joseph hides his silver cup in the grain sack of one of his brothers.
Ancient Egyptian people running in panic from many frogs. In the style of a 1990s Saturday morning cartoon.
The plague of frogs (Exod 8:1–15). In the style of a 1990s Saturday-morning cartoon, this image doesn’t exactly convey the story, but it sure is fun.
A woman wearing makeup leaping through an open window onto a balcony with three men behind her. In the style of a 1990s newspaper comic strip.
The death of Jezebel (2Kgs 9:30–33). The man wearing the high heel in the background, as though he stole it from Jezebel, sells this image for me.
A 16-bit videogame rendering of the Mary, Joseph, and and baby Jesus in the manger.
Birth of Christ (Luke 2:6–7). In the style of a 16-bit video game.
"The Root of All Evil" by Damien Hirst: A conceptual work consisting of a large axe suspended in a glass case, representing the destructive power of sin.
“The ax is at the root of the tree” (Luke 3:9). A huge sculpture that captures the message.
An angry crowd pursues Jesus to a desert cliff, while he walks calmly away from them. An illustration in the style of Beatrix Potter.
The people of Nazareth pursue Jesus to a cliff (Luke 4:28–30). I’m not sure why there’s a sheep–possibly because the prompt asks for an image in the style of Beatrix Potter.
A scene from the perspective of a fish looking up at an ancient fishing boat with fishermen throwing a net. In the distance on the shore is Jesus. 3D render in Unreal Engine.
Jesus calls his first disciples (Luke 5:1–11). A 3D render from the perspective of the fish.
A closeup photo a plank of wood with an eyeball symbol burned into it. Macro lens (Sigma 105mm F2.8).
“First take the plank out of your eye” (Luke 6:41–42). Or, in this case, “First take the eye out of your plank.”
A sculpture of a human head, with the mouth open and spilling out a waterfall of words. The words are made up of heavy metal type, weighing down the head. Think playful and witty, like a work by Jeff Koons.
“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45)
A lifesize house made out of sand with waves about to reach it with a man just visible inside it. Photo taken with a telephoto lens.
The house built on the sand (Luke 6:49)
An overturned, upside-down clay bowl on a table with light peeking from it. The light under the bowl is the only source of light. Photo in a dark room with a wide-angle lens.
A lamp on a stand (Luke 8:16). I could never persuade the AI to create a light under a bowl, only shining on it in various ways.
Jesus Calms the Storm in a large fishing boat with his disciples looking on. Digital painting by Expressionist artist Wassily Kandinsky
Jesus calms the storm (Luke 8:22–25)
A sculptural installation in the style of contemporary artist Anish Kapoor, inspired by the glowing light and bright colors of the transfiguration of Jesus on a hilltop.
The Transfiguration (Luke 9:26–36). I feel like this photo captures how someone might create a hilltop installation to reflect Jesus’ transfiguration.
A detailed pastel drawing of a fox or bird, with looking over their shoulder at the viewer. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for how humans often forget about or ignore those who are struggling, even though they are right in front of us.
“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). This fox looks adorably resentful.
A painting of a field with a mechanical plow in the foreground and a worker sitting on it. The painting is meant to capture the beauty of the field and the hard work that goes into harvest. In the style of French painter Claude Monet.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Luke 10:2). If the workers are few, the American solution is to industrialize the process.
A portrait of a young boy holding a fish in one hand and a snake in the other, with a look of confusion or disappointment on his face. Done in a naïve or folk art style, in the cheerful colors of artist Grandma Moses.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?” (Luke 11:11). In the style of Grandma Moses.
A sculpture of an eye, with a lightbulb in the center, symbolizing the idea that our eyes are the lamps of our bodies. In the style of Chinese artist Zhang Huan.
“The eye is the lamp of the body” (Luke 11:33–36)
A female defendant speaking to a courtroom with a flame above her head symbolizing the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the style of a courtroom sketch artist Jane Rosenberg.
“Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves” (Luke 12:11–12)
A memorial by Maya Lin for the 18 people who suffered when the Tower of Siloam fell in ancient Jerusalem.
The fall of the tower of Siloam (Luke 13:4). Jesus briefly alludes to this event, and this memorial, in the style of Maya Lin, captures the feeling of a contemporary memorial. Each line represents a victim of the collapse (though the AI only generated 14 lines, not 18).
A mustard tree with birds in its branches carved into an actual mustard seed. Extreme closeup, macro lens photo.
“It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches” (Luke 13:19). Here we have tiny birds nesting in a mustard plant.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, "He Who Has Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear" – A vibrant and textured painting of an ear with patterns and symbols inspired by African and Caribbean cultures.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (Luke 14:35). This work captures the urgency of the statement, in my opinion.
A sculpture of a sheep made out of scrap metal and found objects. The sheep is covered in rust and looks like it is about to fall apart. Inspired by Pablo Picasso.
The parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7). A sculpture in the style of Picasso.
A work of pop art in which money is portrayed as a god-like figure, demanding attention and worship. In the style of Takashi Murakami.
“You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13). Here the money becomes personified as a false god.
"Tree" by Alma Thomas: A painting of a tree with colorful and expressionistic leaves planted in the ocean.
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you” (Luke 17:6)
Tilt-shift photo of a camel in the eye of a needle. Extreme close-up, macro 200mm lens.
“A camel through the eye of a needle” (Luke 18:25). The camel is eyeing the needle and deciding that it can’t fit through.
"Jesus Cleansing the Temple", 2013 cubist painting. Orozco's painting depicts the event as a clash of colors, with Jesus' red robe in bright contrast to the blue robes of the money changers.
Jesus drives out the moneychangers (Luke 19:45–46). I feel like one of the moneychangers is dressed like a luchador for some reason.
All Are Alive, 2016, Korean finger painting. A painting of brightly colored flowers and animals, showing that everything is alive.
“God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Luke 20:38). This image conveys more the sentiment than the content of the passage.
The Poor Widow's Mite, Georgia O'Keeffe, 1918. Watercolor. O'Keeffe's watercolor depicts the story of the widow's offering in a unique and beautiful way. The woman's face is hidden in shadow, and the coins in her hand are shining and rose-colored.
The widow’s mite (Luke 21:1–4). This piece, in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe, offers an interpretation of the widow that captures her emotions as she’s donating (possibly her last) two coins to the Temple treasury.
"The 30 Pieces of Silver" by Gustav Klimt, 1908. Oil and silver on canvas. A dark and atmospheric print showing Judas counting out the pieces of silver. He is surrounded by darkness, and the silver coins gleam in the light.
Judas agrees to betray Jesus (Luke 22:1–6). I like that he’s dressed in silver coins.
"Gethsemane," 1903, painting by Arnold Böcklin. A dark and atmospheric work, depicting Jesus surrounded by ominous, twisted trees. The sense of foreboding is palpable, and the viewer feels as if they are witnessing a private moment of prayer and anguish.
The Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39–46). Here Jesus is having a vision of what he’s about to endure.
A colorful abstract painting inspired by stained glass windows, depicting Mary and her family in geometric shapes as they visit Jesus. Modernist painting in the style of Carlos Cruz-Diez.
Jesus’ crucifixion (Luke 23:26–43)
The Road to Emmaus, 2021, oil on canvas. A modern take on the classic biblical story, featuring three men walking along a dusty road, deep in conversation. The sun sets in the background, casting a warm, orange glow on the scene.
The road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35)
"Fire from Heaven" - An abstract painting with bold red and orange tones, reminiscent of fire, to represent fire coming down from heaven and Jesus' rebuke of two of his disciples. At the bottom is a peaceful ancient city in contrasting cool colors. In the style of Clyfford Stil.
Opening of the abyss (Rev 9:1–2)

Background

DALL·E 2 is a text-to-image generator that takes a text prompt (“Realistic oil painting of a cat”) and generates a set of four images that it thinks matches that prompt. DALL·E doesn’t render human faces well, and sometimes it goes completely off-track in its suggestions, but its quality often astonished me.

OpenAI has another AI, GPT-3, that I used to generate many of the ideas for DALL·E prompts. I wanted to explore DALL·E using a wide variety of styles and artists, and I have limitations and biases when it comes to my knowledge of art history. GPT-3 cast a wider net of styles and artists than I would’ve come up with on my own (although GPT-3 loves Rembrandt and Banksy and mentioned them in many completions). Each GPT-3 completion costs around half a cent, and each text prompt to DALL·E generated an average of 1.3 usable images, bringing the all-in cost per image to around $0.12, or around $99 total for this project. (I generated most of these images during DALL·E’s free preview, however.)

The GPT-3 prompts I used evolved over time, but this one is emblematic:

Suggest 5 unique concept ideas for a work of visual art inspired by Luke 14:7-11 (do not pick the place of honor) in the Bible. Include art direction and a specific medium and artist to emulate. Include artists from a variety of eras, styles, and media. Try for an unusual perspective. Title, year, medium. Description.

And here’s what GPT-3 suggests:

  1. “Turning the Tables,” a sculptural installation in which upside-down tables are suspended from the ceiling, representing how Jesus turned the power dynamic upside-down when he said that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. Inspired by Mexican artist Diego Rivera.
  2. “Remember the Poor,” a series of paintings or drawings depicting the poor and needy from around the world, as a reminder that Jesus said we should always remember the poor. Inspired by the work of 19th century French painter Jean-Francois Millet.
  3. “The Banquet,” a painting or series of paintings depicting a large banquet table spread with food, similar to the one described in the story of the great banquet in Luke 14, to emphasize the importance of hospitality. Inspired by Dutch painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
  4. “The Place of Honor,” a painting or sculpture that shows a solitary figure in the place of honor at a banquet table, to represent how Jesus said that the one who takes the place of honor will be the last. Inspired by Chinese painter Zhang Daqian.
  5. “The Outcast,” a painting or sculpture of a figure who is excluded from the banquet, to represent how Jesus said that those who are last will be first. Inspired by Nigerian-born British artist Yinka Shonibare.

I thought #1 was especially interesting as a concept, though I couldn’t persuade DALL·E to produce something good with it. Diego Rivera, further, is a painter rather than a sculptor, so the suggestion wouldn’t work as-is. These ideas often served as a starting place for the prompt I ultimately entered into DALL·E.

I appreciate the irony that I, as a human, am the least-creative part of this whole process; I’m largely copy-pasting content between AIs and then selecting the best output while the AI does most of the lateral thinking.

See all the AI-generated Bible story images.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 25th, 2022 at 6:45 pm and is filed under AI, Art. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses to “Actually Good AI-Generated Bible Art with DALL·E 2”

  1. Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 361 - Glen Davis says:
    July 29, 2022 at 10:00 pm

    […] Actually Good AI-Generated Bible Art with DALL·E 2 (John Dyer, personal blog): “The GPT‑3 prompts I used evolved over time, but this one is emblematic: Suggest 5 unique concept ideas for a work of visual art inspired by Luke 14:7–11 (do not pick the place of honor) in the Bible. Include art direction and a specific medium and artist to emulate. Include artists from a variety of eras, styles, and media. Try for an unusual perspective. Title, year, medium. Description.” […]

  2. Exploring AI-Assisted Bible Study « OpenBible.info Blog says:
    August 3, 2022 at 4:47 am

    […] « Actually Good AI-Generated Bible Art with DALL·E 2 […]