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by Anthony Cleary

As a lover of sport, I have made every effort to watch the opening ceremony and feature events of each Summer Olympiad. It is a personal ritual of sorts and over the years there have certainly been spectacular and exhilarating moments.

Two weeks ago, despite the “ungodly hour”, I was keen to see the opening ceremony of the Paris games. Natural tiredness meant that most of it was a blur. One exception was Celine Dion’s tribute to Edith Piaf with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop.

Amidst the blur, however, there was a point in time when I even channel-checked, such were the bizarre images on the screen. I soon drifted back into a deep sleep. It was only later that same morning that I became conscious of what was actually being depicted. While the mainstream media praised the artistry of the whole ceremony, social media was ablaze, calling out the key moment that caused offence.

All too often, we are confronted by images that shock us and make us angry. The images leave a lasting impression. This is certainly true of the tasteless bastardisation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.”

This was not a parody, because parodies are comical. This was lame and intentionally offensive, and the dramatisation reflects a perverse ideology of seeking to denigrate and offend others.

Mockery

In many societies, especially in the West, people use their personal freedoms to say, depict and do controversial things. They use freedom of speech, and artistic licence, without fully considering the consequences and the hurt caused to others. The victims of this have their life experiences, values and beliefs attacked. Religious beliefs and practices in particular are subject to ridicule.

The artistic director of the opening ceremony defended the dramatisation of “The Last Supper”, arguing that it was intended to promote an atmosphere of “inclusion”. The excuse was predictable, but it belies a wider social ill. This is more about exclusion than inclusion.

Increasingly, art, including some religious art, has been used to mock religion, religious beliefs and the practices of believers. The art has shown contempt for religion, and it could be argued that, in some instances, this has been done with the evil intent of exclusion and marginalisation.

Christianity, Judaism and Islam have all experienced this disrespect, and the offending works are intentionally blasphemous. This trend has corrupted art in all of its forms.

Cartoons are the art form most commonly associated with attacks against religion. By their very nature, they are intended for the purpose of satire. In many instances, however, these illustrations are humourless. Instead, they have been intended to ridicule and shame, and the cartoonists have known that their works will be a source of offence and hurt.

Good vs Evil

For cartoons to be used in this way is not new. In addition to mocking religious beliefs, they have been used to create and spread dangerous stereotypes and to incite hate against some religious communities.

Art can incite hate when it uses evil images or images with an evil intent. Such an environment can give rise to antisemitism and other dangerous forms of religious bigotry and xenophobia. Art should instead reveal the good, the true and the beautiful, and not be a source of hate or division.

Throughout the centuries, art has been used to express, hand on and celebrate religious beliefs. Artists, architects and designers have created paintings, sculptures, buildings and images which are awe-inspiring, and which have been described as beautiful. Art inspires people and touches them emotionally and spiritually, prompting feelings of reverence and respect. This of course is what art should be.

Thomas Jolly’s dramatisation of “The Last Supper” was juxtaposed against the backdrop of Paris, a city renowned for its history, culture, and love of the arts. But in recent years, Paris, like much of the West, has witnessed a rise in attacks against what is good, true and beautiful.

Despite my personal disgust with the dramatisation, I will continue to watch the Olympics and cheer on our Australian competitors. We should let our current disquiet and hurt be known. But at the same time, we should recognise that the Olympics can promote a genuine sense of shared humanity, with fellowship and camaraderie between different peoples and cultures.

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Anthony Cleary is the director of religious education and evangelisation for Sydney Catholic Schools.

Republished with thanks to The Catholic Weekly. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.