Some Curious (and Hopefully Thoughtful) Questions About Art

Friday gave social media a strong and much needed reprieve from the 2024 American election cycle. The Olympics started, and there has been some controversy following the Opening Ceremony. Perhaps the biggest gaffe was the introduction of the athletes from South Korea. https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-opening-ceremony-south-korea-585dfdce64f9e066fd1a6d0f329598c3

The biggest response and frustration, however, was produced by the reenactment of some classical art. As part of the Opening Ceremony, the organizers were trying to meld together themes from the ancient Olympics and from modern day Paris. If you asked me in the moment, I would have said there was a portrayal of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic masterpiece The Last Supper. 

One of my seminary professors, Dr. Blowers, posted a thoughtful question: Why use The Last Supper when it has nothing to do with the Olympics and is not connected to French culture? The Last Supper currently resides in Italy. I don’t think France wants to brag on Italy. 

Blowers was pointing out that a mockery of The Last Supper makes absolutely no sense. When every other part of the Opening Ceremony pointed to the Olympics or to French culture, why break with a parody of The Last Supper?

I had some other questions to add to Dr. Blowers.

Weren’t there more than 13 people in the Opening Ceremony portrayal? The Last Supper only has Jesus and the 12 disciples. Similarly, why are the people in the Opening Ceremony on both sides of the table when everyone in The Last Supper is only on one side? 

Why does the central figure have a halo when the central figure in da Vinci’s painting does not have a halo? What about the tattoos on the arms of the central figure in the Opening Ceremony? What in the world does the audio mixer/DJ equipment on the table signify?

My college friend, Justin Jackson, shared the details of another classical painting with me. Take a look at Jan Harmensz van Bijlert’s 1635 painting titled The Feast of the Gods. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/jan-hermansz-van-bijlert-le-festin-des-dieux-the-feast-of-the-gods

It’s possible, and I would say plausible, that this is the painting being reenacted. Jan van Bijlert’s painting currently resides in Dijon, France as you might expect. 

What does it have to do with the Olympics? The painting is set presumably on Mount Olympus and depicts the mythological Greek gods and goddesses at the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis. Here’s a snippet from Encyclopedia Britannica's website about this wedding feast: “Peleus later won the sea nymph Thetis by capture, and all the gods except Eris (the goddess of discord) were invited to the wedding. The golden apple that Eris spitefully sent to the wedding guests led to the “judgment of Paris” and thence to the Trojan War.”

This painting melds the Olympics with Paris. I believe that was the intent of the Opening Ceremony organizers. 

Look again at the painting. You’ll see that this Jan van Bijlert painting also makes sense with the other questions I’ve asked. The painting has more than 13 people and they are on both sides of the table. The central figure, Apollo, has the halo and the tattoos. Zoom in on Apollo and you’ll see a lyre in his hands - thus the audio mixer in front of the central figure of the Opening Ceremony. When you look at these visual clues, you start to feel like Nicholas Cage in a wild scavenger hunt where you uncovered the connections. 

But doesn’t the reenactment also look like The Last Supper? Without a doubt it looks like The Last Supper. 

Sometimes art imitates art. Do you remember the Ed Sheerhan song that sounded so similar to a Marvin Gaye song? https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jury-reaches-verdict-ed-sheeran-copyright-infringement-case/story?id=99022695

From what I could read on the internet about classical art, Jan van Bijlert was influenced by Caravaggio who was influenced by da Vinci. And both paintings had people around a table. That is to say, I thought it was The Last Supper, too, until I was able to dig much deeper into the details. 

I would wager that 999 out of 1,000 people watching the Opening Ceremony would take a look and say it was The Last Supper. I would also wager that most haven’t heard of Jan van Bijlert. I sure hadn’t. 

Likewise I suspect Jan van Bijlert’s painting wouldn’t even make a list of top 100 classical art pieces being studied and memorized by students in private classical schools in 2024. Ironically I don’t think The Last Supper makes that list either but for an opposite reason. The Last Supper is so iconic it’s almost ubiquitous, too easy to know. 

Should Christians be outraged by the similarities of the reenactment to The Last Supper? It’s upsetting at first. It can lead to anger. But once you realize the reenactment was clearly pointing at a different painting the anger should go away. We should offer grace, and chalk it up to a misunderstanding. 

Am I bothered by the promiscuous and hedonistic values communicated by the Opening Ceremony? Yes, of course. The program didn’t resonate well with me. I felt the same way I feel when I’ve recently watched the Oscars, the Grammys, and so many other programs highlighting current culture. 

Should I be shocked and outraged when my Christian values don’t align with current culture? No, I believe Jesus told us to expect it. 

Does a scene of Greek gods and goddesses, including Dionysus, point to idolatry? Yes, I think any monotheistic culture would say there is an idolatry issue taking place. 

Of course, my local culture in Savannah, GA is also overflowing with idolatry issues. I am guilty of this idolatry, too. I worship sometimes at a little synagogue at the corner of North Avenue and Techwood Drive in Atlanta. It’s called Bobby Dodd Stadium, where my beloved Yellow Jackets play football. A lot of my friends in Savannah prefer to worship elsewhere. They visit a much bigger temple in Athens called Sanford Stadium. Interestingly enough, the saints from Georgia Tech and UGA seem to unite when visiting the professional cathedrals, Truist Park and Mercedes Benz Stadium. It costs more than a tenth of my weekly pay for entrance and small refreshments at these architectural titans. 

I’m joking now. I hope you are able to laugh a little at that. At the same time I hope it is a good reminder that we need weekly and daily help to reorient our hearts towards Jesus, the one and only Savior.  It’s hard to find things in the midst of current culture that point us to Jesus.  In light of that, let us commit to showing the love of Jesus to everyone we can in every place we can. Let us be the ambassadors for Christ, the reminders that point to Jesus alone.