The following article, An Artist’s Examination of the Paris Olympics, was first published on The Black Sphere.
One of the first things that was claimed about the opening ceremony from the Olympics is that the scene wasn’t a recreation Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” but “Le Festin des Dieux”, or “The Feast of the Gods” by Jan van Bijlert.
Forget that the participants admitted it was The Last Supper in their promotional pieces. Forget that the exercise challenged woman pretending to be Jesus bragged about it in a (now deleted) tweet/x. Forget about those smoking guns. For the purpose of this article they don’t exist.
I’m Kevin Jackson’s Multimedia guy, and I know a little about art. I have a Bachelor of Fine Art; when I took history in College, it was from the point of view of the art created at the time. I had to study periods, composition, artists, and WHY the did what they did, so I think I might have a little authority in this area.
Let’s start with the periods these two paintings were made. The Last Supper is from the Renaissance period. The Feast of the Gods is Baroque. If you’re wondering why this matters, the various periods of art have features that define them, and much like music, each period usually rebelled against the period before it. Think if Bands like the Buggles. Their debut album was called Synthetic, and they were part of a movement with synthesizers and electronic music. The period at the beginning of the seventies was dominated by peasant shirt wearing folk singers. Same concept.
Roman Fresco Villa Dei Misteri Pompeii
The Renaissance era (1400 – 1600) was defined by mathematical precision- trying to find perfection in the art created. This came about after the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii, which had been perfectly preserved after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The art discovered was amazingly realistic, as opposed to the art from the Medieval period, which preceded the Renaissance. Medieval art, like Turkish rugs, was purposely not perfect.
After the discovery of this perfect art from the past, everyone wanted to make it. It was so different and refreshing that it ended up defining an entire period.
The Baroque period (1600 – 1730) was defined by more emphasis on emotional content than on precision. The word Baroque is generally thought to have originated from the Spanish word barroco, which means an imperfect pearl. Their layouts were based more on eliciting an emotional response, as opposed to the mathematical precision of the Renaissance period.
Now that you know a little about the periods, lets look at the two paintings. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci was drilled into my head in college. We used it as an example of a lot of the rules of layout in art.
Symmetry.
The Last Supper is very symmetrical. Jesus is front and center, with six apostles on either side. The apostles on both sides are in groups of three. While not as important, there are three windows in the rear, with Jesus in front of the center window. To further reinforce this concept, there are four panels on either side.
The Feast of the Gods, on the other hand, is a hot mess. The table is cut off on the left side, and it evokes a wild party. A group of four on one side, five on the other with two in the middle. While there are some suggestions of balance and symmetry with the satyr and the girl in the back, it’s off center and only mildly there.
Now, with this in mind, let’s examine the Olympics. When I saw the image at the the opening ceremonies, the Last Supper jumped out at me. As I mentioned before, we had to study it extensively for the purpose of understanding the rules of layout. Now look at this. While it’s zoomed in a little, the symmetry is still there. The groups of three are still there. A Jesus like figure in in the center, with two distinct groups of “Apostles” on either side. It evokes The Last Supper.
This next part is pure speculation on my part from my study of the pieces and the opening ceremony.
But what about Dionysus? Well, I think this makes it get even more evil. Eventually the scene in the opening ceremony gets more and more chaotic, suggesting that they’re changing The Last Supper into the Feast of the Gods. Whether this is planned or not, I have no way of knowing.
Another way to look at it is changing, or perverting Christianity into paganism. The sacred has become the profane. This way they can say it was Feast of the Gods (remember- the best lies have a shred of truth) to misdirect the obvious blasphemy. And since it’s the Olympics, where the opening ceremonies usually have to do with the history of the country hosting it, they are celebrating changing what was once probably the most Christian country in Europe into a pagan mess.
Continue reading An Artist’s Examination of the Paris Olympics …