How does it look from this perspective ? …:
We humans need something tangible to hold on to … something we can identify with.
Each sacrament is a “sense perceptible” sign which effects what it signifies. Our senses are the windows through which all our knowledge and experience come. We do better with some type of physical, perceptible affirmation…kind of like, we’re more sure we’re forgiven in Confession when the priest raises his hand and pronounces the words of absolution.
I think the OP is right about God the Father not being “picturable”, so to speak, since He is " pure Spirit". Perhaps this is why his voice always came from a cloud in the Gospels - to emphasize this very point…?
On the other hand, God is also our Father who loves us with such an unspeakable love, that he would surely compensate for our earthly deficiencies in perceiving Him as pure Spirit and for other impediments we might encounter when moving towards Him.
The Father being portrayed in human form is not really something new. It is how Daniel perceived Him in his vision Daniel 7:9 ] and scriptural scholars tend to draw a parallel of this image (and others of Daniel’s vision) to the visions recounted in the Book of Revelation.
Jesus gave us a human-type image of the Father in Himself and particularly in his parable of
The Prodigal Son … not such a bad idea - portraying the Heavenly Father with arms and a body when we see what He does with them …:
Luke 15:20 [NAB]
"With that he set off to his father’s house. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was deeply moved. He ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him."
At the following link this image (and brief written description), done by the artist according to the vision Sister Lucia of Fatima had, is of equal interest; especially since it is relatively recent compared to the others. It can be said then, that the Father chose to be represented this way in Sister Lucia’s vision.
loveandmercy.org/loveandmercy/TrinityVision.htm
A child’s favorite place is surely in its Father’s or Mother’s arms. None of us are at the same place on our spiritual journey. Some with a very childlike faith (that’s a quality) might not be able to bear the thought of the Heavenly Father not hugging us … actually that’s a particularly distasteful thought as it would apply to anyone, and from the examples above, in my opinion, it would appear even our Heavenly Father is indicating a strong preference that nothing deter or discourage us from contemplating His warm embrace … could there be anything sweeter than that embrace ?
? You make him look older, but not so old that he is degrading in some manner. How do you show him to be powerful? You make him perfect, or you portray him in a manner others associate with power. Is the Father the plumber of the world? Yes, but we don’t portray him as such because we like the kingly image better.