The decision is not the only controversy surrounding Greenaway's show; his plans include projecting "images of Christ's genitalia on to the painting." Maybe it's not the light the Italians are worried about damaging the painting. Maybe they're worried about the reaction of the audience as they witness Jesus's glowing gonads, the sharp intake of their collective gasps creating a vacuum forceful enough to suck the very tempera off the already-fragile painting. The light show, accompanied by actors' voiceovers, is Greenaway's attempt to link "8,000 years of art and 112 years of cinema." That's a lot to ask from genitals, even if they're Christ's.

The writer/director is probably best known to most audiences for his film, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (or possibly The Pillow Book, if you're a fan of naked Ewan McGregor), but he originally trained to be a painter, and art features prominently in several of his films. So he's probably highly aware of the controversies painters have faced over the centuries and the ways they've found to get around the disapproval of authorities. Maybe he should think about calling that image he wants to project by another name, for example. Did they serve zucchini at the last supper?