Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, has had enough of the backlash.
He has now responded to the significant backlash he has received since his vision produced a parody of the ‘Last Supper’ with drag queens, transgenders, and naked dancers.
Thomas Jolly said ‘diversity’ was the key point of the opening ceremony, and this is what his production intended to achieve.
The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
On Sunday, Jolly told news channel BFMTV that the tableau has nothing to do with the iconic Renaissance painting depicting Jesus’s last meal with the 12 apostles.
“It’s not my inspiration, and that should be pretty obvious. There’s Dionysus arriving at a table. Why is he there? First and foremost, because he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology, and the tableau is called ‘Festivity,’” explained Jolly.
“He is also the god of wine, which is also one of the jewels of France, and the father of Séquana, the goddess of the river Seine,” he continued. “The idea was to depict a big pagan celebration, linked to the gods of Olympus, and thus the Olympics.”
Many spectators of the Paris Olympics dove deeper into the imagery and suggested that the performance was, in fact, inspired by The Feast of the Gods by 17th Century Dutch painter Jan van Bijlert.
The scene featured the likes of Nicky Doll and stars of Drag Race France.
The French director took major issue with so many critics about his presentation.
“We have the right to love who 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. These are values that are important to us. So, quite frankly, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
2024 Paris Olympics Controversial Opener Won’t Soon Be Forgotten
During the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, an artistic sketch directed by Thomas Jolly pissed off thousands, if not millions of people across the globe who blasted it and then decided they would not partake in watching the summer games.
Fans of the Olympics couldn’t believe they were seemingly watching a mockery of the Leonardo da Vinci’s biblical painting, The Last Supper.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, may have had a vision of something else in mind, but the masses are sure that he was mocking a religion.
Controversy, just like sex, will forever garner more attention than positive things.
This is one of those performances that will never be forgotten.
