Renaissance Blog: The Last Supper

 Most people recognize Leonardo Da Vinci's renaissance painting, The Last Supper, painted in Europe in the late 1400s'. This painting is filled with symbolic references and it represents Jesus Christ's final meal with his apostles before Judas betrays him and identifies him to the authorities which ultimately leads to his arrest. Da Vinci explores and portrays the psychological reactions of the apostles after Christ's revelation. The composition of the painting is depicted by having Christ in the center and his body forming a triangle like shape at which his head is used as the vanishing point which demonstrates Da Vinci's use of one-point linear perspective, four sets of three apostles beside Christ which could represent the four Gospels in the bible and the holy trinity. You can see various true human emotions in the apostles such as sadness, anger/protest, shock and acceptance. These complex emotions by the apostles and Christ embody renaissance humanism. The painting represents the early years of renaissance painting traditions in certain areas such as perspective, classicism and composition and it uses lifelike colors with strong contrasts in light and shadow while also having architectural elements within the painting similar to Greek and Roman styles. Da Vinci created it by a mix of oil and tempera and applied it to a dry wall. 



The art elements found in this painting definitely inspire awe. The painting immediately draws the viewers' eye to Christ and the emotional reactions of the apostles after hearing the betraying revelation. This along with the depth of the painting, makes the viewer feel like they are present at this event. I would certainly own a copy of this renaissance masterpiece as it is very symbolic and meaningful. I personally really enjoy looking at this painting because of all the layers it has, the more you look at it, the more you notice more and more things within the painting. 





                                            REFERENCES

Leonardo da Vinci’s Last supper (2012) ItalianRenaissance.org. https://www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-leonardo-da-vincis-last-supper/


Harris, B., Zucker, S. Leonardo, last supper (2015) Smarthistory LeonardoLast Supper Comments.  https://smarthistory.org/leonardo-last-supper/






Comments

  1. AN.DuncansonFebruary 18, 2025 at 9:35 PM

    I loved your analysis! The Last Supper is a gorgeous and iconic piece.

    Something I notice within the piece is not only how the three windows cast the main light on Jesus, but also how the set of three could also be an identifier of the holy trinity. It puts a focus on Christ as the centerpiece but also the center of his disciples. Another thing that, it could just be a misunderstanding, but it almost looks like in the foreground there's a chair in the middle, as if seating the audience down with the disciples. It could be me reading into it, but it almost feels like it's inviting you down as it explores the more emotional sides of everybody's reactions, while Jesus is the center piece he is the most still, the most calm, as he was about his fate for the most part, but it's his disciples that describe a majority of the movement into the piece-- and I find it so interesting how we focus on those emotions.

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  2. First blog post family test userFebruary 20, 2025 at 9:56 PM

    Hello,
    One thing that appeals to me is the use of the vanishing point. I learned about this in high school and it is so cool to see how artists can use different techniques to create different effects. I like the theme it has as well as how many layers this painting has as the more you look at it the more details you notice

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  3. LouisaFebruary 21, 2025 at 8:55 PM

    When I look at this piece of art I ask myself how Renaissance artists like Da Vinci were able to combine religious themes with innovative artistic techniques to create these works that remain more powerful and relevant in the centuries after. This painting has several emotions in itself. I loved reading your blog. Very good.

    ReplyDelete

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