For those that are unfamiliar with the biblical event, the “Last Supper” was the ultimate meal that Jesus shared along with his disciples (close followers) before he was crucified. In keeping with the Jewish holiday, it’s believed to have been a Passover meal celebrating the Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt. It was during this meal that Jesus announced he had been betrayed by one in all his closest followers (John 13:21) – that is the moment frozen in time by da Vinci.
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Leonardo da Vinci began his famous painting, The Last Supper, in 1495. After several failed projects, it could have been taken on to merely “pay the bills.” Being 43 years old on the time, Leonardo was quickly falling behind what some would have assumed his potential dictated. He hoped that this work would turn things around and make his mark on the art world.
7. The Last Supper – Story of a Painting Experiment Gone Wrong
When the project was given to him, Leonardo da Vinci was recent to painting frescos (murals). This was the biggest work that he had attempted to that time (15 x 29 feet to be exact). Leonardo’s work is definitely not a fresco, nonetheless. Knowing he needed time to work on the painting, he decided to experiment with beautiful pigments directly on the established plaster. Unlike traditional frescos, he decided not to combine the colours in with wet wall plaster directly. This alternative meant that the painting hasn’t fared in addition to it should; the paint was already starting to flake by 1517, lower than 20 years after completion!
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Photo credit: Youtube/Orion 7747
6. The Last Supper – Leonardo Da Vinci’s Instant Success
Leonardo had a status for not ending his work. With The Last Supper, he hoped to make a reputation for himself and truly create a masterpiece. This goal was quickly achieved. Unlike many famous paintings, da Vinci was in a position to see the importance of this work in his lifetime. When Leonardo accomplished his mural, it was immediately popular. Historian and writer Ross King has spent years researching the mastermind that was Leonardo da Vinci.
“It was probably the most copied painting of the following century – not only in paint, but in addition in marble, wax and terracotta,” King shared. “Everyone wanted a version of it. Leonardo had finally created the ‘work of fame’ about which he dreamed.”
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5. The Last Supper – Survival Of The Fittest
The Last Supper has been through its share of trauma. Twenty years after it’s completion, the painting began to chip and fade. The church was not motivated to preserve it. They cut a door into the painting directly through Christ’s feet, which were painted in crucifix-style to foreshadow his death on the cross. The painting was not seen as a very important piece of history.
During the Napoleonic Wars, troops were housed within the church itself. There they used the painting as goal practice. Much of Jesus’ face sustained damage. As patrons of spiritual art began to value the painting again, preparations were made for World War 2.
Scaffolding and sandbags were placed against the painting in hopes of protecting it. These efforts proved helpful when a bomb landed near the church, destroying it’s roof and plenty of partitions. But The Last Supper remained!
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Photo credit: ©Pexels/Magda Ehlers
4. The Last Supper – It’s Not The Only One
Two other almost exact replicas exist of The Last Supper. Believed to be painted by Leonardo’s assistants, the copies are each in well-preserved states. Perhaps they selected to recreate the piece as a real fresco? One is held within the Royal Academy of Artsin London and the opposite decorates the Church of St. Ambrogio in Ponte Capriasca, Switzerland.
It is these copies that give us an idea of what da Vinci’s masterpiece would have looked like had it survived in higher condition. There are many who decide to skip the lines and 15 minute viewing time to see The Last Supper in Switzerland as a substitute of Italy!
3. The Last Supper – Symbolism of Jesus’ Feet
During the era of the Italian Renaissance, art was greater than just a visible experience. The painters of the day were commissioned to create works by wealthy patrons and churches. Their works were designed to teach and influence those viewing the work. In the case of The Last Supper, da Vinci’s masterpiece was no exception.
While he selected to push the envelope with how he created the work, the importance of the “teachable moment” was not ignored. In The Last Supper, each disciple was fastidiously placed, their actions and expressions not left to probability. Leonardo placed each detail with great thought – Jesus’ originally had feet, intentionally placed in “crucifix style” to foreshadow that which was to return. Unfortunately, the importance of this a part of the painting was no consideration when in 1652 a doorway was cut directly through the underside central half of the painting, whereby eliminating a key element of foreshadowing!
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2. The Last Supper – More Italian Than Jewish
In keeping with wanting to influence viewers of his work, da Vinci’s The Last Supper displays more Italian cultural elements than Jewish ones. Relating his painting to the people of his era, da Vinci was careful to present a historical moment frozen in time that was easily understood by its viewers. The accepted religious traditions on the time were Catholic. Many of the weather in The Last Supper reinforce the cultural faith practices of the day.
Believing that the last supper shared by Jesus and the disciples was a Passover meal, there would have been strict dietary requirements. Round loaves of Italian bread wouldn’t have been on the menu. But there are much more obvious issues with the image lots of us associate with the story of the biblical last supper.
If indeed it was a Passover meal, it could have been held at sunset. No sunlight pouring through what is clearly an Italian landscape and never Jerusalem. Understandably, da Vinci wanted to indicate the entire disciples seated on the table– however the disciples likely were lounged around a low U-shaped table. Even the robes worn by the disciples are painted in a really romanticized view of the era.
While it can’t be proved, da Vinci was probably not asked to color an historically accurate Last Supper, but quite the essence of the event. A visible to encourage response and reference to its viewers. Rumour has it that da Vinci roamed the streets and even prisons of Milan to seek out the inspirations for the faces of the disciples. Thus creating essentially a good looking Italian representation of this necessary moment within the lives of the disciples.
1. The Last Supper – Leonardo’s Painting, or Not?
The painting that’s viewed today, while mesmerizing, is definitely the restored work of Dr. Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, began in 1978. Only 20% of the unique painting is assumed to have survived years of “fixing.” In 1770, Giuseppe Mazza repainted all but three of the faces, after which in 1821, Stefano Barezzi attempted to transfer all the painting onto canvas. Understandably, each of those attempts seriously damaged the already fragile work.
Mauro Pellicioli, in 1949, did probably the most extensive restoration thus far by attempting to reseal the painting with shellac. Enter Dr. Barcilon within the 1970’s, who had recent technology to introduce – xray! Here’s what the painting looked like before she began her 20-year restoration project:
While there are some who dispute the necessity to have restored the painting again, or whether the x-ray technology used was the perfect method, it’s interesting to notice that many small details previously lost have been reclaimed. An orange here, a hand or cloth there. It was also decided that what couldn’t be 100% confirmed as Leonardo’s work should as a substitute be painted in beige. Thus, The Last Supper painting seen today is definitely more about reading between the lines!
This content originally appeared on GodUpdates.com; used with permission.
Photo credit: Leonardo Da Vinci/Public Domain Image
