Joe Paterno takes Jesus' seat at the table in a painting parody of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," currently on display in the HUB-Robeson Center's Art Alley.
The large painting, on display through Sunday, depicts Paterno surrounded by uniformed football players, the Nittany Lion and a referee in lieu of the 12 apostles.
Jessica Pissini (senior-integrative art and classical ancient Mediterranean studies) created the painting after studying abroad in Italy and examining da Vinci's work.
Displayed just in time for this year's Blue and White game, "The Last Pregame" was crafted in appreciation of Penn State and its athletic teams, Pissini said.
The 4-by-8 foot acrylic painting is the largest she has ever painted -- so large that she was forced to build the canvas herself, she said.
Pissini said she was originally nervous about potential controversy regarding the religious connotations of the painting, but said she has only received positive feedback.
"I was born and raised Catholic," she said. "I know how strict it is. It was never meant to be religious."
Instead, the painting was meant as a humorous depiction of the Penn State football "religion", she said.
"People have told me they worship Joe Paterno like Jesus," she said, laughing.
Pissini said she is a devoted Penn State football fan and was excited to meet coach Paterno while seeking his consent for the painting.
"His wife asked him 'Do you
mind?' " Pissini said. "He looked at it and said 'Yeah, go ahead, let her.' He was so nice about it."
She said the piece is riddled with small inside jokes and light-hearted symbolism. Football players are depicted head-butting one another and playing paper-football while a defender and receiver attempt to catch a ball in the background.
Randy Ploog, coordinator of international programs for the College of Arts and Architecture, said he thought it was important that Pissini keep her own painting as true to the original as possible.
"I urged her to really study Leonardo's "The Last Supper" before she undertook it and to try to follow it accurately," he said. "When you're doing a parody you need to be as accurate to the original as possible to be really effective."
Pissini said she paid particular attention to the three figures to Paterno's right, the viewer's left, in the painting. The apostles Peter, John and Judas hold a historical significance in da Vinci's painting that she retains in her own version, she said.
She placed the Nittany Lion in St. John's seat to symbolize loyalty, the quarterback in St. Peter's to represent responsibility and the referee in Judas' to connote betrayal, she said.
Pissini wants the painting to be viewed and enjoyed by everyone, not just art majors and enthusiasts.
"Most people that look at this are not historians and that's OK," she said. "You can recognize it with historical background or not."
