In the past an icon was a painting, usually on wood, of Jesus Christ, or of a person considered holy by Christians, especially in Russia and Greece. These icons often had a halo also known as a nimbus, aureole, glory, or gloriole. It is a crown of light rays, circle or disk of light that surrounds a person in art. It has been used in the iconography of many religions to indicate holy or sacred figures.
Later the meaning of ‘icon’ evolved into a famous person (or thing) considered as representing a set of beliefs or a way of life. Like David Beckham becoming one of the UK’s best-loved sporting icons.
Nowadays we think of it as a symbol reflecting a particular file type on a PC. And within an application it’s a small picture or symbol that you point to and click on (= press) with a mouse to give the computer an instruction. Believe it or not, there are nowadays even icons for your PC with an aura, indicating concentration, enlightenment, and meditation.
In this context it was funny to see some pictures from politicians lately taken recently, from such a point of view that they were iconified so to say. What to think about the following pictures from Joe Biden where the American Bald Eagle symbol on a blue background took the roll of an aura.
Not just Biden got iconified recently. What to think about Mutti Merkel below 😉 ❓
