Priya Kapoor
The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony was an art-filled spectacle, featuring a variety of performances that paid tribute to French history and culture. One particular scene, titled Festivity, caused an international stir as it was denounced by Christian and conservative critics as an offensive parody of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. However, art historians and the ceremony's creative team clarified that the scene was actually inspired by Jan van Bijlert's 17th-century painting The Feast of the Gods, which depicts Greek gods in a moment of revelry.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Painting | Le Festin des Dieux (The Feast of the Gods) |
| Artist | Jan van Bijlert |
| Year | 1635-1640 |
| Location | Musée Magnin, Dijon, France |
| Theme | Greek Mythology |
| Subject | The marriage of Greek mythological figures Thetis and Peleus |
| Technique | Chiaroscuro |
| Style | Baroque |
| Period | Dutch Golden Age |
| Inspiration for Performance | A "big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus" |
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What You'll Learn
The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
The ceremony began with a unique twist, plunging Paris into darkness as Juliette Armanet sang John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Imagine" on a drifting raft. The peace anthem, part of all Olympic opening ceremonies, set the tone for the event, aligning with the message of unity and tolerance conveyed by the Games. The impact of international conflicts was also felt, with Russians and Belarusians banned from participating in the parade due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
One of the most memorable moments of the ceremony was the parade of athletes travelling in 85 boats along a six-kilometre route on the River Seine. The boats passed by iconic Parisian landmarks, including the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Trocadéro. The Louvre Museum also installed reproductions of artworks from its collection along the river, with monumental cut-outs of faces from historic paintings such as Marie-Guillemine Benoist's "The Portrait of Madeleine" and Georges de la Tour's "The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds."
The ceremony paid tribute to the ongoing restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which suffered a devastating fire in 2019. A dance performance on the scaffolding surrounding the church incorporated the sounds of construction work, concluding with the ringing of the cathedral bells for the first time since the blaze.
The Opening Ceremony also featured surprise performances by Lady Gaga, who presented a cabaret number, and French-Canadian singer Celine Dion, who sang "L'Hymne à l'amour" by Edith Piaf from atop the Eiffel Tower. The Olympic cauldron was lit by French athletes Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec, officially declaring the Paris 2024 Games open.
The event was not without controversy, as a scene inspired by Jan van Bijlert's painting "The Feast of the Gods" was misinterpreted by some viewers as a reference to Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." Despite organisers clarifying that the scene was inspired by Greek mythology, some performers received backlash and threats following the ceremony.
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The Feast of the Gods painting
The painting that was depicted in the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris in 2024 was initially thought to be Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. However, it was later revealed that the performance was inspired by Jan van Bijlert's "Festivity", also known as The Feast of the Gods.
The Feast of the Gods is a 17th-century work, currently housed in the Musée Magnin in Dijon, France. The painting depicts the marriage of the Greek mythological figures Thetis and Peleus. It features a lively banquet scene filled with gods and goddesses, including a seemingly drunk Dionysus staring at grapes, while a satyr dances in front of him. The Dutch painter employed the chiaroscuro technique to enhance the festive atmosphere and the physical standings of the deities.
The painting is a celebration of Greek mythology and is emblematic of the Dutch Golden Age's appreciation of antiquity. By including a performance inspired by communal celebration in The Feast of the Gods, the Olympic organizers emphasized the ongoing cultural importance of community and shared traditions.
The Feast of the Gods was created by Jan van Bijlert, a prominent member of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, a Dutch movement inspired by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It is one of the few mythological paintings by the artist and is considered one of the greatest Renaissance paintings in the United States. The painting has a rich history, having been commissioned by Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, and passed down through the generations before leaving Italy for England in 1853. It was eventually acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1942, where it currently resides.
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Christian community backlash
The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony included a performance that viewers and Christian groups claimed mocked Christianity. The performance in question featured dancers, drag queens, and a DJ posing in a way that resembled Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. This caused backlash from Christian communities, with some calling for a boycott of the Paris Olympic Games.
Despite the organisers' clarification that the performance was inspired by Jan van Biljert's 17th-century painting, "Le Festin des Dieux" (The Feast of the Gods), which depicts Greek mythological figures, the Christian community remained upset. This was not the only point of contention, as some Christians also took issue with a horsewoman dressed in armour, galloping down the Seine with the Olympic flag, recognising her as St. Joan of Arc.
French Bishops issued a statement deploring the scenes, expressing regret for the "mockery and derision of Christianity" and extending their support to Christians worldwide who were offended by the performance. Bishop Gobilliard, in particular, emphasised the contradiction between the divisive nature of the performance and the Olympic Charter's goal of promoting unity and respect for everyone's convictions.
The backlash resulted in online abuse and threats directed at Barbara Butch, one of the performers in the controversial scene, who received death threats, antisemitic, homophobic, sexist, and body-shaming insults.
While some Christians were offended by the perceived mockery of their religion, others acknowledged that the performance was not intended to be a direct parody of The Last Supper, but rather a modern interpretation of biblical narratives and Christian art. These individuals argued that being offended by such depictions is unjustified, given that Christianity does not have the same prohibitions on sacred imagery as other religions, such as Islam.
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The Louvre collection
The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony was an art-filled spectacle, with numerous references to French history and culture. One scene in particular, titled "Festivity", caused some controversy, as it was thought to resemble Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper". However, art historians and the ceremony's creative team clarified that the scene was actually inspired by Jan van Bijlert's "The Feast of the Gods" (or "Le Festin des Dieux" in French), a 17th-century painting housed in the Musée Magnin in Dijon, France.
"The Feast of the Gods" depicts Greek gods in a moment of revelry, celebrating the marriage of Thetis and Peleus. The painting features a lively banquet scene filled with gods and goddesses, including a seemingly drunk Dionysus staring at grapes, while a satyr dances in front of him. The Dutch painter employed the chiaroscuro technique to enhance the festive atmosphere and the physical presence of the deities.
The scene in the Olympic Opening Ceremony included drag queens, a transgender model, and a semi-naked singer sitting at a long table. The creative director of the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, explained that the scene was meant to be a "big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus" and was never intended to mock or denigrate any religious group. He specifically mentioned the presence of Dionysus, the god of feasting and wine, and the father of Sequana, the goddess of the River Seine.
In addition to this, the Olympic Opening Ceremony also featured monumental cut-outs of faces from historic paintings in the Louvre collection. These included:
- Marie-Guillemine Benoist’s "The Portrait of Madeleine" (1803)
- "Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters" (1594)
- "Relief of Seti I and Hathor"
- "Portrait of Shah Abbas I and His Page" (1627)
- Georges de la Tour’s "The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds" (ca. 1636)
Each face was submerged below the nose, and their eyes moved to track the boats of athletes as they journeyed down to the Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower.
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$132.35
Lady Gaga's performance
Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony. Gaga performed a rendition of Zizi Jeanmaire's "Mon Truc En Plumes" ("My Thing With Feathers") on a set of stairs along the Seine River. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer was surrounded by pink feathers, giving a brief set reminiscent of her Jazz and Piano residency in Las Vegas.
Gaga's performance paid tribute to the French performance tradition, with a cabaret-style act featuring singing and dancing with a mix of humour and glamour. The performance was pre-recorded due to safety concerns regarding the rain, with Gaga on site during the opening ceremonies, watching her performance from her dressing room.
Gaga's four-minute set was deemed the "most artistically challenging" by the choreographer and head of dance for the Olympics and Paralympics, Maud le Pladec. Le Pladec noted that Gaga was a "workhorse and a perfectionist", rehearsing for two months with dancers in Los Angeles and Paris.
Gaga expressed her honour at being asked to sing a special French song, celebrating French art and music and paying tribute to the city of Paris. Her performance stole the show during the four-hour spectacle, with Gaga's vocals performed live as she moved up and down the giant set of stairs, accompanied by dancers carrying oversized pom-poms.
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Frequently asked questions
The painting that inspired the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Paris was Jan van Bijlert's "The Feast of the Gods", also known as "Le Festin des Dieux" in French.
The performance caused controversy among the Christian community, who thought the scene resembled Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper".
The painting depicts Greek gods in a moment of revelry during the marriage of Thetis and Peleus.
The ceremony also featured monumental cut-outs of faces from historic paintings in the Louvre collection, including Marie-Guillemine Benoist's "The Portrait of Madeleine" (1803) and "Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters" (1594).
The original painting that inspired the ceremony, "The Feast of the Gods", is housed in the Musée Magnin in Dijon, France.
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