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Leonardo da Vinci's "last supper" essay
Analysis of davinci the last supper
Analyzing the last supper by da vinci
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Leonardo's The Last Supper depicts the sequence of events before Jesus's betrayal and crucifixion. Rather than merely a snapshot in time, The Last Supper seems to be a continuous sequence of events, and a foreshadow of events to come. Two interpretations of the subject of the painting come to mind: the betrayal announcement and the first communion. Observing the impulsive Simon Peter's interactions with Judas and John, Jesus and Thomas, it is clear that The Last Supper represents a conjoint presence of both the betrayal announcement and the institution of the Eucharist.
The main theme behind The Last Supper is Jesus's death. Jesus came to earth to be crucified as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Man cannot become righteous by his own works and are thus condemned to hell. But Jesus comes as a sacrifice to pay for those sins and thus all who trust in him and give their lives to God will be forgiven of their sins. This is what the Eucharist represents. The bread is Jesus's body broken for man, and it symbolizes Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. From a secular viewpoint, the Eucharist means nothing, so the main theme is obviously Jesus's announcement of the betrayal. Jesus already knows that Judas will betray him and accepts it because the betrayal is but one part of God's plan. The reactions of the apostles as seen in the painting seem to differ, as some react to the betrayal while others appear to be receiving communion.
Peter's placement on the left side of the painting and his placement between John and Judas reflects his character. The painting is divided with six apostles on either side of Jesus. The ones on the right are beside a lighted wall, whereas the ones on the left sink into the shadows. Peter is on the darke...
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...himself claims: "Your tongue will be paralyzed... before you predict with words what the painter shows in a moment" (Steinberg, p. 53). Yet The Last Supper has become a masterpiece that has sparked many debates. Does it depict the first Holy Communion, or the prediction of the betrayal? Many have argued either way, and there are valid arguments for both. By examining the interactions of Peter with John, Judas, Jesus and Thomas, we see that indeed both events are represented. Instead of choosing to capture a single moment, Da Vinci's masterpiece covers past, present and future events and both the institution of the Eucharist and the betrayal announcement. The Last Supper is truly complete work of art in every way.
Works Cited
Holy Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 1996.
Steinberg, Leo. Leonardo's Incessant Last Supper. New York: Zone Books, 2001.
At the top of the artwork the upper part of the cross extends beyond the altarpiece. The edge of John the Evangelist’s red robe on the left of the altarpiece and the edge of Mary Magdalene’s pale blue skirt on the right are cut off when the panel ends, giving the viewer the feeling that, rather than looking in on the scene, the viewer is actually taking part in the scene. This, added to the empathy invoked through the delicate, heart-wrenching rendering of the figures in the artwork, let the observer directly interact with the painting and places him/her within the narrative.
The piece was chosen primarily because of the magnificent presence that is felt as one enters the room, or cathedral, where the piece may be located. The viewer's eye is drawn immediately to the central figure of Saint Peter who was seated as pope at the time. Giving the main focus of the work to the pope is representative of the importance that was placed on the papal seat. This importance was exemplified, during the time of this altarpiece's creation, by the crisis of the Great Schism. Furthermore, a scene of Christ's crucifixion can be seen directly above the panel of Saint Peter further emphasizing the importance of Christ in the painting, and in the medieval time period as well. Overall, the piece depicts four images from the life of Saint Peter, which surround the center panel on the left and the right sides. In addition, scenes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and St. Blaise, a fourth century martyr, are also present. All the characters in the panels more or less have halos and therefore are holy figures. The twelve apostles line the bottom of the panels, perhaps suggesting that they were the foundation of the Catholic religion. Basically, the painting is designed for a church altar, it has religious figures in it, and it is filled with Bibles and images of Christ's crucifixion. All of this relays a strong message to the viewer that this is what is important in life; one should pay close attention to religion and have respect for it.
The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one’s mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman – like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven.
There is one figure in the sculpture that is unknown to me. The individual that is standing next to St. Peter and has his right hand on Judas' back. He can be portrayed as two things. He might be there along side Judas helping him. His hand may be to help Judas along in his betrayal. He could be pushing him towards Christ as if to say, "You can do it, go ahead." He can also be portrayed as against Judas. His hand might represent a type of concern as if to say, "What are you doing?" and "Why are you doing this?" Furthermore, there is some object in his left hand, which seems to be right next to Christ's head. It may be something to hurt Christ, or it may be something to stop Judas. Unless I can find out more about this individual, I cannot fully understand his significance in this sculpture.
Jesus Washing the Feet of St. Peter (ca.997-100) and St. Luke (ca.997-100) illuminated pages contain the echoes of ancient painting and architectural perspective used in Roman wall painting through Byzantine art (Davies, et al. 341). Set in a gold Byzantine background, Jesus Washing the Feet of St. Peter depicts Christ and Peter as the central figures. As in Otto III Receiving the Homage of the Four Parts of the Empire, both Jesus and his apostle Peter are larger than the bystanders, thus visually reinforcing their importance. Jesus is standing and extending his three right fingers in a benedictory gesture to the seated Peter. This benedictory gesture echoes the cover page of the Godescalc Gospels, Christ Enthroned. Peter is looking up at Christ with his left foot in a bowl of water and both arms raised in a supplicant manner to receive his blessing. However, this depiction is also different from the static Christ Enthroned in that here is an emphasis on the shifting from “physical to spiritual action” (Davies, et al. 342). Once more here, Christ has a cruciform halo in which three arms are showing and along with the three fingers raised, eludes to the Holy Trinity. The eight apostles who are reduced to as mere bystanders are compressed into a small space on the right watching this blessed event. There are two male figures on left, one who is holding a bowl of water and another
Imagine pondering into a reconstruction of reality through only the visual sense. Without tasting, smelling, touching, or hearing, it may be hard to find oneself in an alternate universe through a piece of art work, which was the artist’s intended purpose. The eyes serve a much higher purpose than to view an object, the absorptions of electromagnetic waves allows for one to endeavor on a journey and enter a world of no limitation. During the 15th century, specifically the Early Renaissance, Flemish altarpieces swept Europe with their strong attention to details. Works of altarpieces were able to encompass significant details that the audience may typically only pay a cursory glance. The size of altarpieces was its most obvious feat but also its most important. Artists, such as Jan van Eyck, Melchior Broederlam, and Robert Campin, contributed to the vast growth of the Early Renaissance by enhancing visual effects with the use of pious symbols. Jan van Eyck embodied the “rebirth” later labeled as the Renaissance by employing his method of oils at such a level that he was once credited for being the inventor of oil painting. Although van Eyck, Broederlam, and Campin each contributed to the rise of the Early Renaissance, van Eyck’s altarpiece Adoration of the Mystic Lamb epitomized the artworks produced during this time period by vividly incorporating symbols to reconstruct the teachings of Christianity.
Art, by definition, is “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings”. Throughout history, one way that art has been used is to reflect a multitude of ideas and beliefs. Christian beliefs and ideas have been portrayed in artwork since the beginning of Christianity, although, it was not always acceptable to do so. The idea of the final judgement is a Christian idea that has been displayed in art repeatedly in a variety of ways. Michelangelo’s fresco the Last Judgment (1536-1541) is a piece that visualizes this idea. Since the time it was finished, this significant piece found in the Sistine Chapel has been continuously critiqued and analyzed. Many Christians struggle to interpret the event of a final judgment after reading it through Scripture. In analyzing Michelangelo’s piece, it is similar difficult to determine what he exactly meant to portray and what the various part of his masterpiece represent exactly. Many have examined this piece and made different regarding what exactly the various figures and objects are supposed to represent. The diverse interpretations of this work further shows the idea that when Christian ideas are reflected through artwork, it is hard to ascertain exactly what an artist intended to demonstrate. In addition, the controversies surrounding this piece represent the idea that when Christian ideas are revealed through art, there is potential for disagreement regarding what should and should not be included in Christian art. Michelangelo’s Last Judgment is just an example of what results when Christianity is brought into art.
... the way that the artwork is resembled in the religious background of the gospel but reconstructed in to a celebrating impression. Throughout the fresco painting it depicts the myth of the Christ’s three fold temptations relating back to the article that “distinction between fresco and panel painting is sharp, and that painters are seen as competitors amongst themselves discriminating also, between the difference in genuine attempts in being better then the other.” Baxandall, “Conditions of Trade,” 26. in relation, the painting concerns the painter’s conscious response to picture trade, and the non-isolation in pictorial interests.
Perspective is based on Jesus in this painting due to his outward “radiant glow of divine light” (1) extending to the other people in the painting. The main focus is on Jesus and the rest of the figures are diffused in an outward fashion from Jesus himself. The artist himself expresses an emphasis on individualism by implementing himself within the painting by appearing “twice in the Last Judgement: in the flayed skin which Saint Bartholomew is carrying in his left hand, and the figure… who is looking encouragingly at those rising from their graves” (2). This is an action that only a Renaissance painter would do, which is displaying individuality through a self-portrait because of the possibility of being judged for selfishness. Light and shadowing is prominent within the art which is shown in the painting when the lighter, more brighter colors are focused in the middle and then fade into darker tones while moving outward into the
Leonardo da Vinci used flawless subject matter, form, content, and iconography to create his painting The Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci painted his interpretation of what the Last Supper looked like through his work of art. In the center of his painting he painted Jesus Christ, the son of God, in the middle of all of his disciples. On each side of him there are an even number of six disciples sitting at a table pointing to themselves and to each other. Da Vinci painted this scene inside of a dark room with three windows, eight doors, and a beautiful outside environment. In order to paint this scene da Vinci used flawless form.
He meant to get his ways of thinking out there for the world to see. He knew that if you were a deep thinker and learner as him, you would see and understand the way he saw and understood. He knew it would be a great asset to the Renaissance period and that he would leave an imprint on the world to view. I could tell that in the painting of The Last Supper that, he wanted you to be in deep thought and wonder what Jesus could have been talking about with his disciples. It has been rumors of what he was saying, but the truth is nobody really knows. It gets you to thinking because you are wondering like what he said, what they said back, what his reaction was when they did respond and what the ending result was. With the Mona Lisa, it leaves you in deep thought because you want to know what could she be smirking about or did he even mean to have that smirk on her face. He wants you to wonder what was the point of adding the slight smirk to her face, or could you just be seeing a smirk that actually was a frown. The memories and emotions of the artworks were based on religion and his thoughts of how a woman should be portrayed. The Mona Lisa looks innocent, natural and pure. It shows realism in the portrait, because of the way she is positioned in the painting. I believe Leonardo da Vinci made this artwork to compare the Mona Lisa to a mother-figure or his mother in particular. In conclusion, the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples focused on what was happening at that time. I think he based it on the bible, but translated them into his own thoughts to show that it is possible to read something and comprehend it on a different level than how it was
Through his magnificent work da Vinci is able to make The Last Supper come to life. The Last Supper is a visual description during the evening before Christ was betrayed by one of his disciples. Corresponding to Christian belief it is the final meal that Jesus shared with his Apostles in Jerusalem before his arrest and crucifixion. As they are eating and drinking Christ announces the betrayal of him by one of his twelve apostles which reacts in horror, shock, and anger. Christ gave precise commands on how to eat and drink in remembrance of him in which is now known as communion.
The two paintings and artists I am going to compare and contrast are "The Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) and "The Last Supper" by Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594). Although I am not a religious person, the sight of the painting by Tintoretto amazed me for the simple fact that it is so different from "The Last Supper" I grew up with.
The Last Supper , painted by Leonardo Da Vinci possesses a number of elements of art and principles of design. First ,there is a variety of elements of art which is lines, shape, texture and colour. There are three forms of lines used in the painting: psychic line, implied and curved lines. Psychic line is an imaginary line formed to direct viewer’s eye.
Thus, Christians celebrate the ritual of the Last Supper (the Eucharist) just as Jesus did almost 2,000 years ago. And in participating in this unique, myth-based ritual, a full-on Christian is brought back into authentic Christian experience, which will be the basis of our discussion today, if such Dimension and others is necessary.