"The Last Supper." Mocked or Not Mocked?

The answer is "YES." Here's how we know.

Friday, August 2nd, 2024

Before the world moves on entirely, I want to nail down an important point regarding the Drag Queen/King performance with the “Naked Blue Man” during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Yes, it was a depiction of The Last Supper. Yes, it matters. And, here’s how we know:

But first (!) a small side comment about the “Naked Blue Man” who apparently sang a song about how being naked prevents war because you can’t hide your weapons.

Um, yeah. Tell that to the extremely successful and violent warriors of Papua New Guinea, who need no clothing in order to succeed at warfare and tribal battles.

But, I digress…

It’s clear that “The Last Supper” by da Vinci was the inspiration for last Friday Night’s Olympic Opening Ceremony performance by Drag Queens and Drag Kings. But, don’t take my word for it.

Let’s listen to the Olympic Spokesperson, Barbara Butch, and Thomas Jolly himself!

(1) The Feast of the Gods, by Jan van Bijlert (seen above) is NOT the inspiration.

• This painting was quickly grabbed onto as a “saving our asses” answer to the question, “If it wasn’t The Last Supper, then what exactly did inspired the Drag Queen/King performance piece at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony?”

• But — in the painting, “The Feast of the Gods,” Apollo sits in the center, and he is recognizable as the god Apollo specifically by the Lyre he's holding.

• And — Barbara Butch, seated center, was NOT provided with a Lyre or Harp.

• This painting also shows Dionysus in the foreground. Notice, he is NOT blue.

• Meanwhile, the “naked blue man” in the Olympic Performance lacked most of the distinctive tokens or attributes of Dionysos' including:

  • the thyrsos, a pine-cone tipped staff,

  • fruiting grapevines,

  • a wreath of laurel leaves (not brightly colored fruit),

  • a drinking-cup (kantharos),

  • a panther,

  • and the clothing typically associated with Dionysus, which was either a long robe (chiton) or a cloak (himation).

• Also, the “naked blue man” was presented on a platter, the way one might serve up a roast turkey or ham, which is something the ancient world would never even consider doing when it came to showing respect for Dionysus —

  • UNLESS — you’re exploring the Orphic Legend re: the origin of humanity, in which Hera, in her jealousy, ordered the infant Zagreus/Dionysus to be torn to pieces, cooked, and eaten by the evil Titans. After which, Zeus destroyed the Titans with his lightning and humanity was born from their ashes.

  • That seems like a stretch to me, and as no one has made this claim, it’s clearly a (tongue in cheek) missed opportunity to prove that The Last Supper was NOT being mocked.

    

    Yes, here is where we all get to see “the testicle.” Can you find it? Hint: it’s not the Blue Man’s testicle you’re looking for…

(2) The Olympic Spokesperson’s Own Words

• A Paris 2024 Olympics spokesperson admitted the controversial drag show version of “The Last Supper” seen in Friday’s opening ceremony was indeed inspired by the iconic da Vinci mural — despite attempting to vehemently deny it following a fierce backlash.

• Quote:
  “Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting,” an Olympics spokesperson admitted to The Post in a statement on Saturday, referring to the opening ceremony creative director. “He is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to ‘The Simpsons,’ many have done it before him,” the statement continued.

(3) Jolly never gives an alternative source of inspiration.

• By the time Jolly was interviewed, he was well aware of the controversy, and he was quick to say he was not inspired by The Last Supper, the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.

• HOWEVER, he didn't name “The Feast of the Gods” by Jan van Bijlert or any other famous Christian or pagan painting as his inspiration.

(4) Barbara Butch’s Instagram Post: “The New Gay Testament!”

• From all accounts and sources, it appears Barbara Butch openly and with “pride,” announced exactly what was the inspiration for the Olympic performance, posting it on her own Instagram Account (then later deleting it).

• Of course, she can’t speak for Jolly (the designer of the performance), but as a professional in the world of entertainment, she ought to have thought twice before making this claim to her many followers (and the world) on Instagram.

• To my knowledge, she has not yet denied it, despite deleting the image.

The Last Supper is not just a piece of art.

It portrays a crucial moment in time, where Jesus knew he was soon to be betrayed by his own disciples in varying ways, yet he did not flee or try to escape.

This was the moment where he made his decision, as a man (and the son of God), to accept his fate and his power to save the entire mortal world from the pain and punishment of sin.

The meaning behind this painting was entirely disrespected by the Olympic Opening Ceremony when they approved a performance by professional drag queens and kings who, through their personal and professional life, represent the excesses of paganism.

Rather than modest attire and the sincere pursuit of the “right way to live” in the eyes of God, drag queens and kings represent an entirely different world view. In fact, their worldview largely depends upon God of the Hebrews, Christians, and Muslims being farcical and not real.

So, yes — it is wrong for unbelievers to demean, diminish, or make a parody of (mock) da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, and by extension, show deep disrespect to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Didn’t we learn this lesson back in 2005 and 2012?

Remember when a Danish newspaper published Mohammed caricatures that triggered riots and death threats? Or when Innocence of Muslims was released and four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in Libya amid a regional furor over the film, which mocks Islam’s prophet? As the Egyptian Prime Minister Hashem Kandil said, “The film is offensive to the prophet and immoral.”

Christians, as a culture today, are far less prone to violence, but Jesus isn’t simply a Jew who became the Messiah of the Christian world. To Muslims, he is viewed as a prophet of Allah. And the Olympic Committee in Paris (a city awash in Muslim refugees), along with Thomas Jolly, thought this was a good idea?

The Last Supper was a solemn and phenomenal moment in the life of Jesus Christ that billions of Christians have wept over for centuries. Sinners fearing Hell have looked upon this moment as quintessential to their salvation through faith. And Catholics love, honor, and revere The Last Supper as the meal held by Christ and His disciples on the eve of His Passion at which He instituted the Holy Eucharist.

No one should mock it.