Dafoe’s interpretation was quiet and focused, measured rather than dramatic. His delivery did not impose upon the room but rather wove itself into it, allowing the language to resonate with the presence of Rubens’ painting. It was a return of philosophical and spiritual sorts for the actor, who once portrayed Christ in Martin Scorsese’s controversial film and adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ The Last Temptation of Christ. In that novel, the Greek philosopher Kazantzakis reimagines both Jesus and Judas not as fixed roles of good and evil, but as intertwined souls. Judas, in particular, becomes a necessary instrument of the ethical balance.

Judas and Christ as complementary figures personified by the same voice. This interplay between past and present, between performance and poetry, gave the reading a personalized interpretation. In taking on the voice of Judas, Dafoe subtly reversed the trajectory of his earlier role. And in doing so, he lent the character not only his voice but a kind of emotional permission to be seen in full complexity.

The event is part of Gabriele Tinti’s larger body of ekphrastic work, which for years has sought to return emotional weight and narrative voice to classical artworks. His collaborations with actors like Dafoe are not simply performances, but temporary bridges—ways of reanimating museum pieces without stripping them of their stillness or mystery. Recently featured in The Times and The Guardian, Tinti’s poetic interventions have been read at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Roman Museum, and the Getty Villa, among others.