The Last Supper Essay

807 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Compare the Last Supper by Tintoretto, Veronese, or Leonardo da Vinci

THE LAST SUPPER- LEONARDO DA VINCI (1497)

“ The last Supper” is a fresco made by Leonardo Da Vinci at the end of the 15th Century. The dimensions of the fresco are enormous (460x880cm). Ludovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, commissioned it as a decoration for the refectory of the convent Santa Maria delle Grazie.
The time period portrayed is the Last Supper of Christ and his apostles, in Jerusalem, during the celebration of the Jewish Easter.
This theme was really common during the 15th century and lots of artists portrayed it following a common system: Jesus is always portrayed at the center of the composition with all the apostles around him except for the one who is going to betray on him, Judas, who is sitting in front of him. Judas …show more content…

The painting of Del Castagno is more into an theological vision of the reality: The background reminds us the Ancient Greeks with all the decorations in marble, every figure in the painting has an halo over their had and moreover the fact that Judas is sitting on the other side of the table reminds us the Holy Betrayal.
The painting of Leonardo is shifting more to the Humanism where the human being is the center of the Universe, in fact he didn’t respect the canons at all: Judas sat on the same side of the table as Jesus. This fact means that the Artist didn’t want to portray a holy act, but a common one: the betrayal of a friend. Moreover any of the figures have a halo, and this fact makes us see them more like human beings and not like holy ones. Although the light sky, that we see through the windows is kind of a halo for Jesus.
In the painting Jesus Christ is portrayed while giving the Eucharist to the apostles. The Eucharist is the act of Jesus of sharing and blessing the wine and the bread for his last supper. During the portrayed moment Jesus was also pronouncing some of the most famous verses of the Christian Religion “ Tomorrow at midnight, one of you is going to betray on

Show More
Related

  • Rogier Van Der Weyden's Deposition Essay

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • St. John the Baptist Preaching by Mattia Preti

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    The painting is of a young St. John the Baptist preaching to his congregation. St. John is an important figure in Catholicism not only for his preaching and baptisms in the River Jordan, but for his role as the last prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ. His preaching foretells the coming of Christ as the Messiah, and thereupon Christ’s baptism, the voice from Heaven told St. John that Jesus was God’s son. This piece by Calabrese captures John at the height of his oration. Fixed atop a decrepit tree trunk yet grappling for stability, John is shown here in his ascetic attire composed of camel hair, holding his staff and scroll bearing the words “Ecce Agnus Dei,” which translates into Beho...

    Read More

  • The Betrayal of Christ Depicted in the Italian Paintings by Duccio and Giotto

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the two different depictions of the scene Betrayal of Christ, Duccio and Giotto show their different styles on how they compose their paintings. The first decision into the composure of the painting would be the comparison of the size of surface they chose to paint on. Duccio in comparison to Giotto chooses to work on a wooden panel no wider than a foot, and Giotto went with a plaster surface with a width of ten feet. This detail alone lets the viewer know that Giotto’s artwork is embedded in detail and visual consumption. The size difference is the factor between who see’s it and what they see; the fine details and symbolism of the narrative will be better understood if the viewer can see every detail.

    Read More

  • Saint Peter Altarpiece

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • School Of Athens And The Last Supper Comparison

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    The table placed like a long horizontal line through the whole painting, both the formatted of a stable atmosphere. Plus, the image of Jesus' calmness, majesty, and the composition of the twelve disciples on both sides of the composition, forming both static and dynamic. At the same time, the table put against the audiences while adopted a completely open art approach, so that audiences could to be immersive. Leonardo da Vinci combined thirteen characters with full expression of both different and closely

    Read More

  • Fra Carnevale: Presentation Of The Virgin In The Temple

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    The painting illustrates the martyrdom of St Mathew the evangelist. According to belief, the saint was murdered on the commands of King of Ethiopia while celebrating mass at the altar. X-rays disclose two attempts at the masterpiece before the one we see today, with a progress towards simplification by decrease in figures, and decrease of the architectural aspect. The first translation exposed is in the mannerist approach of an admired artist in Rome. At this point Caravaggio focused more on the calling, a companion piece. This painting signifies the time when mannerism paves way to the baroque. The younger artists were loved the work, and Caravaggio became very famous in Rome. The Taking of Christ is the work of Michalengelo Merisi Da

    Read More

  • Fra Angelico Robert Campin Analysis

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    The paintings depict the story of the angel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary and announcing the news that she will give birth to Jesus. Yet, even though both Fran Angelico and Robert Campin tell the same story, they do so using different methods. Since, Fra Angelico’s artwork was created for the monetary in San Marco, it reflects that. Monks live simple and devoted faith filled lives. Fra Angelico captured the essences of this in the painting by keeping it very simple, with limited amount of objects and with few symbols. Few symbols was also partly because the audience would have a religious background and the monks could fill in the gaps of the story. Adding to this, the monks used this art work for devotion, and by Angelico keeping it simple the art work was less likely do interfere with the monk’s devotional time. Fra Angelico’s internal struggle as well, not wanting to make the item idolatrized, is also responsible for the simplicity and the Byzantine influence. The few symbols Fra Angelico drew in his paintings included the halos above the figure's head and Mary crossing her arms in a sign of humility. However, even the halos he created were not in perspective and flat as opposed to Masaccio’s 3D looking

    Read More

  • Bernard Van Orley's Virgin With Child And Angels

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    As this painting was created in the High Renaissance, the composition shows the transition from spiritual to humanist. During this period, artists began to experiment with attempts to pay attention to realism and naturalistic features while still maintaining the appearances of spiritual figures. In the painting, Baptism of Christ, Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci worked on two angels seen on the left of the piece. Verrocchio was a renown early Renaissance artist, paying extreme details to humanism to a point where the line between real and spiritual was obsolete. In this painting, it is no different; the angel painted by Verrocchio appears as a small boy with a halo above his head. However, Leonardo’s contribution portrays an angel that is still divine, yet still having elements of realism. This concept of “realistic, yet spiritual” was a main idea that embodies the High Renaissance, and can be seen in Orley’s piece as well. Although there is a lack of attention to proper anatomy, the conception of “realistic, yet spiritual” is shown through the scenery in the background, where the landscape is depicted as a castle on the hilltop looming over a foggy forest. This imagery could be seen in reality, but the hazy feeling gives off a more spiritual world that is unearthly, but still on Earth. Landscaping also became a prominent theme that grew in

    Read More

  • The Annunciation: A Painting by Francisco de Zurbaran

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Leonardo and Tintoretto's Last Supper Paintings

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leonardo’s version of the Last Supper was painted El fresco depicting the scene passively without emotion. The work has the supper table horizontal across the lower third and Jesus and his twelve disciples dining behind it, before a backdrop of both man made structure and natural landscape. The artwork is un-cluttered and simple. The lighting is subtle and non-dramatic. Colour is conservative and dull this is partly due to the limited paint available and the technique and decay of fresco painting. The wor...

    Read More

  • Masaccio Trinity Analysis

    1591 Words  | 4 Pages

    ( footnote book ). This painting had multiple purposes, it was used in religious rituals and commemorated as a funerary moment of Christ. In the painting there are three fictional spaces one which holds the chapel with the trinity, Christ the son on the crucifix, we see the dove, the Holy Spirit, looks like gods collar, and above we see god. He’s demonstrating the sacrifice of his son which redeems human’s sins. A second space where we see young St. John the evangelist and on the other side there is the Virgin Mary presenting the second space. The virgin’s stoic impression; penetrating the audience, saying that it’s a reminder of what Christ was sacrificed for and the constant reminder if redemption. She’s not the fallen virgin, she is very somber and serious. This is why this is considered a devotional piece and also what Alberti would call a ‘historia’. Mary is the one is the historia depicting what is going on, as Alberti states, she is the character that beckons the audience with her hand, holding a ferocious expression and forbidding glance, this is the gesture that invites you to laugh or weep with her.(footnote course) In this instance it is to remember and be thankful to Christ and how his sacrifice redeemed mankind from their sins.

    Read More

  • Major Changes: Humanism and The Renaissance

    939 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...tism. The dove which has been tactfully placed above the Christ’s head, symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The other characters are angels who believed to be witnessing the baptism. The nakedness of the Christ on the other hand symbolizes humility. The general landscape in this picture displays an extraordinary naturalism. The Francesca’s work also marked the era of excessive antiquarian style of sculpturing and tactful use of oil in painting (Prescott, 2005).

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Italian Baroque Art Analysis

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Caravaggio’s most famous painting The Calling of Saint Matthew shows the moment that Jesus Christ calls upon Saint Matthew and inspires him to follow him. In most religious paintings, Jesus is glowing. Even if Jesus is not depicted in the middle of the painting, your focus leads to Jesus.

    Read More

  • Descriptive Essay On The Last Supper

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Last Supper Essay

Open Document