'The Last Supper" does Appear to have Influenced It

  I don't know that I'm persuaded by those who suggest the scene from the Olympics Opening Ceremony was not influenced by Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" painting. Twelve people (in the image making the news, though more in the whole play) . . . almost the same as the Last Supper (13). One in the center . . . same as the Last Supper. The one in the center faces straight ahead while the others (many, anyway) are turned towards and giving attention to the middle person . . . same as the Last Supper, The poses of the drag queens are similiar to those of the apostles in the Last Supper. The person in the center is crowned with an aureole . . . same as Christ is often depicted. All versions of the Last Supper are not the same, but in those of the High Renaissance, Christ has such a halo. Many are saying the Opening Ceremony's play was based not on "The Last Supper," but "The Feast of the Gods," painted by the Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert. That painting also  has much in common with "The Last Supper," even to the point we wonder if  it, too, is a parody of "The Last Supper."

When asked about the short play, and the controversy that resulted, the artistic director (Thomas Jolly) did not specify that it wasn't a reenactment of The Last Supper. Instead, he defended the right to depict things the way he wanted and not depict them in a way that would please Christ worshippers. He said, "In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.” One can easily wonder if he is taking a shot at the United States, suggesting that the U.S. doesn't allow the freedom of speech that is allowed in France.