No, the Olympics Ceremony Did Not Copy “The Last Supper”

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony performance was not a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," according to the ceremony's artistic team, which said the scene drew on the separate art historical theme of godly festivities. Conservative critics had claimed the performance parodied the fresco and mocked Christian beliefs. Artistic Director Thomas Jolly said the tableau, called "Festivity," depicts Bacchus, the god of celebration and wine, and a big pagan celebration linked to the gods of Olympus. Historians pointed to earlier paintings such as Jan Harmensz van Biljert's "The Feast of Gods" (c. 1635–40), held at the Musée Magnin in Dijon, France.