Analysis of Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'

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The Last Supper

The Last Supper was a very powerful Biblical event, in which Jesus and his disciples

gathered for one final dinner together. According to the Bible, important events took place

during the Last Supper, including an announcement by Jesus that one of his disciples

would betray him and the first communion. To artists in the fifteenth and sixteenth

centuries, it was necessary to give proper deference to such notable occurrences. Both

Leonardo da Vinci and Jacopo Robusti, known as Tintoretto, took upon the challenge of

recreating the Last Supper. While Last Supper by da Vinci and Last Supper by Tintoretto

are very similar in subject matter, they differ in composition, symbolism, and the choice of

narrative moment.

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is the first great figure composition of the

High Renaissance and the definitive interpretation of its theme. Jesus and his twelve

disciples are seated at a long table that is parallel to the picture plane. The room is

spacious and peaceful, and Christ has his arms spread in disposed trust . The rest of the

group is in intense and dramatic excitement, with their hands out in shock and question at

Jesus’ words. The viewer can just feel the tense excitement sweeping through the groups

of disciples. Jesus, the most important figure in the painting, has been placed in front of

three windows that are in the back of the room, and he is framed by the cen...

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