In contrast, Rubens shows Jesus amongst a jumbled group of Apostles who are clearly distressed by what has been said or is being said. Jesus is not teaching, rather looking to His Father for guidance as he breaks the Eucharist.
The two paintings make an intriguing point about how the artists see Him: Rubens depicts Him at the center of the confused crowd while He Himself shows signs of distress; Dali depicts a perfectly ordered scene with a calm, wise Christ giving Himself to His Father's Will. Both place Jesus in the center of the painting, but the way in which He is centered is an example of the modern idea of Jesus as a composed, prepared sacrifice. Rubens's disjointed scene shows the confusion the Baroque era had of what Jesus had actually done; He is portrayed as the head of a disordered group of baffled men. Dali, some time after Rubens, has a more orderly view of the event; this allowed him to focus on the entire Paschal Mystery in the one painting. The connection between the disciples is made clear in the orderly way he presents them, and Jesus's composure assures the viewer of His comfort and willingness to undergo what will come. The painting is filled with symbolic references to the Trinity and the miracles of His life, something Reubens's painting has suppressed almost out of the painting.
Much like the organization of a painting, the style of a painting serves as an excellent point of dissension to compare two canvases. Rubens avoids the mystic technique utilized by Dali; the halo around the Christ and the dark, shadowy figures around Him do give the painting a mysterious aura but nothing can be truly described as mystical. At the opposite end of the spectrum, however, Dali throws all convention to the wind and merges a scene of one of the most human practices, that is eating, with a scene of paradise. The painting is so surreal one can hardly help but feel awed by this Man giving Himself up, both in body, as seen in the hovering figure, and in soul, as shown by His left hand.