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Journalism of Courage
The star-studded opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 got embroiled in controversy due to a tableau, which was part of the event. It featured drag queens, a transgender model, and dancers, who were lined along a table with a semi-naked singer painted in blue.
What was the tableau?
The tableau came towards the end of the nearly four-hour-long opening ceremony in Paris. The performers included LGBTQ+ activist and French DJ Barbara Butch with a large silver headdress that resembled a halo. The singer painted in blue was identified as French entertainer Philippe Katerine, who emerged from a dinner plate surrounded by fruits and began to sing — the lyrics reportedly referred to his body parts.
Why was the act criticised?
The critics, including the Catholic church and the far right, have alleged that the tableau concerned was a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic “The Last Supper” — a mural that showcases Jesus Christ surrounded by his 12 apostles on the night before his crucifixion. They claimed that the performance was an insult to Christianity.
The Conference of French bishops, in a statement, said, “This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore.”
Former US President Donald Trump also criticised the act, saying, “I am very open-minded. But I think what they did was a disgrace.”
What did the organisers say?
Although the Paris Olympics organisers have apologised to people offended by the tableau, they have denied that it was an interpretation of da Vinci’s mural. Instead, it was inspired by Dionysus — the Greek god of festivities and wine — and depicted a pagan feast connected to the gods of Olympus, according to the organisers.
The Olympics’ official X account referred to the scene as “The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings”.
The creative director of the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly, said: “I did not intend to be subversive or to mock or shock…. In France we can love who we want, how we want… we can believe or not believe… we have a lot of rights and I wanted to convey those values throughout the ceremony.”
What are other interpretations of the performance?
According to several others, the scene could be a representation of the Festival of Dionysus, also known as the “Greater Dionysia”, which was a theatrical event in fifth-century Athens. Describing the festival, America’s Brown University website notes: “Every year in the spring (around our March) playwrights would compete to entertain the masses of Athenian citizenry. As many as 16,000 Athenian citizens (this excludes women, slaves, metoioi, and metics) would file into the amphitheatre to view the newest plays by Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and others.”
Parallels are also being drawn with other painterly works, including, most prominently, Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert’s 1635-1640 painting “The Feast of the Gods,” depicting the Greek Olympian gods with others around a long table. At the centre is the Sun God Apollo, with a halo of light around his head.
A translation of a post by Dutch historian Walther Schoonenberg on X, directly compares the scene with the Jan van Bijlert painting. It reads, “… heathen gods gathered on Mount Olympus for a feast. Sun god Apollo is recognisable by his halo, Bacchus (Dionysus) by the grapes, Neptune (Poseidon) by his trident, Diana (Artemis) by the moon, and Venus (Aphrodite) by Cupid.”
