Compare And Contrast Leonardo Da Vinci And The Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most famous and accomplished artists of the Italian Renaissance during the late 1400’s and early 1500’s. His paintings used many new artistic techniques developed during the Renaissance, particularly embodying the nobility of man. Humanism was the period’s cultural movement focused on the importance and goodness of man as opposed to the divine. Below I will describe how Leonardo da Vinci used Renaissance techniques in two of his most famous works - The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa - and how they exemplify the dominant trends of this period.

One of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings was entitled The Last Supper. Created in 1494 after the Duke of Milan commissioned it for a convent, it is an example of how the ruling elite used art to bolster their legitimacy. The painting used considerable detail, particularly in the natural realism of Jesus’ twelve disciples and the food and plates laid out on the table. This level of detail would not have been shown in painting from the Middle Ages. Another Renaissance artistic technique embodied in The Last Supper is the use of chiaroscuro or light and shade to present objects as three-dimensional. Chiaroscuro makes the depiction of the apostles more accurate, especially in their facial features and clothing.

Leonardo da Vinci also

These characteristics include the humanistic influence shown through detailed facial expressions and emotions, the use of linear perspective, the use of chiaroscuro to make objects three-dimensional, and finally, the importance of the natural environment in the painting’s background. Da Vinci’s paintings have influenced generations of artists who have come after him, and many new artistic techniques have been developed since the Renaissance. And, modern art would not be what it is today without