Renaissance - Da Vinci - The Last Supper Flashcards
Where is the last supper located
Santa Mona Delle Grazie, Milanese monastery, above the door of the refectory
Why did Leonardo paint it in a refectory
While eating the monks were reminded of what could be called the most important meal in history
Subject matter of the last supper
Religious theme; depicts the moment when Christ says “one of you will betray me”
A reaction to that moment (a shocking moment)
What mediums are used
Experimental fresco - done on dry plaster instead of wet plaster (led to the paint not adhering to the wall properly), mixture of oil paint and tempera
What is happening in the painting
Christ reaching towards a glass of wine and bread (holy communion)
Judas and Christ both reaching towards a bowl
Judas grasping the bag of silver in his right hand
Chaos is going on (unlike any other artists depiction of this scene)
Judas head is turned (indication he will hang himself)
Peter is rushing to protect Jesus
What is Leonardo trying to show us through the painting
Tells us several moments in the story: the reaction of the apostles when Christ says he knows who betrayed him, creates chaos,
Shows the importance of the scene without use of religious symbols such as the halo
Separates the world of Christ to our world by placing all of the apostles on the other side of the table (table is a barrier)
There is a contrast between the emotions of all the figures
Describe the composition of the painting
Landscape
Uses linear perspective
Use of threes represents the holy trinity (windows, apostles in groups of threes)
Triangular composition - adds structure, stability, allows us to follow the story
Jesus head is in the apex of the triangle, his eye line towards his hands (in the vertex)
Symmetrical
Window behind Jesus acting like a halo
Who was the patron that commissioned this painting
Ludovico sforza, the duke of Milan
What colors are used
Blues, greens, reds in foreground (people)
Browns in background
Light colors behind window
Discuss the composition of the painting
Mathematical composition.
Linear perspective
5 triangles - Jesus, 2 sets of 3 people either side of him
Uses vertical and horizontal recessional movement to give an illusion of 3D in 2D surface
Vanishing point is Christ’s eye
Who was the patron of this painting
Duke ludovico sforza and his dutchess Beatrice d’este
What does the pointed finger represent
Occurs in many of leondardos paintings and also in Raphael’s “school of Athens”
It is pointing to heaven
When was the most recent restoration of the painting
It lasted 21 years from 1978-1999
Name 2 reproductions of the painting
Salvator Dali - “the sacrament of the last supper”
1998 Vicki Muniz - “the last supper” made entirely out of chocolate syrup
