Olympics organizers apologize after comparisons to ‘Last Supper’ sparked protests. What to know about the controversy.

Paris Olympic organizers apologized on Sunday after a scene depicting the Greek god Dionysus drew criticism for allegedly mocking Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper,” which depicts Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles during their last meal. .

At Friday night’s ceremony, a nearly naked man painted blue, representing Dionysus, was seen positioning himself at a long dinner table surrounded by food and drag queens.

Representation, according to some religious organizations, was a “mockery and mockery”of the Christian faith. Public figures, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, called it “war on our faith and traditional values.”

According to reports, since then several artists have been the target of online hate, with one of them filed a legal complaint against your cyber attacks.

However, Anne Descamps, spokeswoman for the 2024 Paris Olympics, stated that “there was never any intention to show disrespect to any religious group” during a meeting. Press conference on Sunday.

Here’s everything you need to know about the backlash — and why art experts say people may have misinterpreted its meaning.

What happened?

During the ceremony, French DJ and producer Barbara Butch stood in the center of a long table that resembled the one in da Vinci’s painting.

She’s surrounded by drag queens – including Drag Race France presenter Nicky Doll and Legendary star Giselle Palmer – when the French actor and singer Filipe Katerine appears as the Greek god Dionysus. He is painted blue, wearing flowers in his private area, and then sings his song “Nu” (or “Naked”).

The table then transformed into a catwalk, with drag queens and models showing off their looks in a tribute to the city’s vibrant fashion scene.

On the night of the ceremony, the Paris Olympics described the scene in X as an “interpretation of the Greek god Dionysus” and “an absurdity of violence between human beings”.

The public outcry

Several religious groups and public figures spoke out after the performance, including actor Rob Schneider, who said the scene “openly celebrates Satan” in a post shared on Facebook. X. “I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity,” he wrote.

OldTo view co-host Candace Cameron Bure shared her own outrage in a video posted on Instagram.

“[To] to see the Opening Ceremonies completely blaspheme and mock the Christian faith with their interpretation of the ‘Last Supper’ was disgusting,” she said.

Fox Nation presenter Piers Morgan, in turn, called it “terrible decision” while others claimed to be “enraged” for the performance, describing it as “crazy” it is a “direct attack” about Christian values. C Spire, a Mississippi technology company, promised pull your ads of the Olympics.

The French Episcopal Conference, representing the country’s Catholic bishops, also reported the scene.

What the artists said

Barbara Butch claims she has been the victim of death threats and homophobic hate online. She has since filed several complaints against his cyberattacks, according to a declaration from your lawyer.

“My entire life, I have refused to be a victim: I will not remain silent,” she wrote on Instagram, according to the Daily Beast. “I am not afraid that those who hide behind a screen, or a pseudonym, will spew their hatred and frustrations.”

As for Katerine, the singer told CNN that he is “deeply sorry” for shocking people and that any interpretation of this that offends Christian values ​​is a “misunderstanding.”

“I ask for forgiveness if I have offended anyone, and the Christians of the world will grant it to me, I am sure,” he said. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t about performing ‘The Last Supper’.”

In a statement about InstagramDoll wrote: “For those whose feathers were ruffled by the strangeness on screen: WE ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.”

Le Filip, the recent winner of the Drag Race France Season 3 also participated in the scene and expressed their “surprise” and “pride” at the uproar it received.

“I thought it would be a five-minute drag event with queer representation,” they told the Associated Press before applauding the French government for showing “no restrictions on expression.”

What the organizers said

Descamps tried to explain the intention behind the scene on Sunday Press conference.

“It is clear that there was never any intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” she said. “On the contrary, I think [artistic director] Thomas Jolly really tried to celebrate communal tolerance. We believe that this ambition has been achieved. If people were offended, we are sorry.”

In turn, Jolly made it clear in an interview with French BFMTV that the scene was intended to portray Dionysus, the god of wine and parties, who is also the father of Sequanagoddess of the River Seine, where the ceremony took place.

“We wanted to include everyone, simple as that,” Jolly said of the reaction during a Press conference on Saturday. “I didn’t have any specific message I wanted to convey.”

Art experts weigh in

Art historians have pointed out that the scene is not a parody of “The Last Supper” but rather inspired by “The Feast of the Gods,” a 17th-century painting of the Greek gods of Olympus by Jan van Bijlert.

The Musée Magnin in Dijon France which has the painting in its collection posted images of her on Sunday, writing in French on the X: “Does this painting remind you of anything?”

Dutch art historian Walther Schoonenberg agreed, explaining in X that Apollo, god of the sun, was recognizable by Butch’s halo, as was Dionysus, god of wine and feasts, by grapes and Poseidon, god of the sea, by his trident.

“There is no doubt in this picture an insult to Christians,” he wrote in Dutch. “We are talking about the Olympic gods in a representation of van Bijlert’s work. The Greek gods gathered on Olympus – where the ancient Games took place.”

Others, however, were less forgiving of the association.

“The idea of ​​the central figure with a halo and a group of followers on either side is so typical of the iconography of ‘The Last Supper’ that reading it any other way might be a little reckless,” Sasha Grishin, art historian and professor at the Australian National University, told the New York Times.

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