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The Last Supper (Leonardo)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Art

   The Last Supper
   Leonardo Da Vinci, 1495– 1498
   tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic
   460 × 880 cm, 181 × 346 inches
   Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)

   The Last Supper ( Italian: Il Cenacolo or L'Ultima Cena) is a 15th
   century mural painting in Milan, created by Leonardo da Vinci for his
   patron Duke Lodovico Sforza. It represents the scene of The Last Supper
   from the final days of Jesus as depicted in the Bible. The painting is
   based on the account, in John 13:21, of Jesus announcing that one of
   his twelve disciples would betray him. The painting is one of the most
   well known and valued in the world; unlike many other valuable
   paintings, however, it has never been privately owned because it cannot
   easily be moved.

Composition and meaning

   The painting measures 460 × 880 centimetres (15 feet × 29 feet) and can
   be found in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in
   Milan, Italy. The theme was a traditional one for refectories, but
   Leonardo's interpretation gave it much greater realism and depth. The
   lunettes above the main painting, formed by the triple arched ceiling
   of the refectory, are painted with Sforza coats-of-arms. The opposite
   wall of the refectory is covered by a Crucifixion fresco by Donato
   Montorfano, to which Leonardo added figures of the Sforza family in
   tempera. (These figures have deteriorated in much the same way as has
   The Last Supper.) Leonardo began work on The Last Supper in 1495 and
   completed it in 1498 — however, he did not work on the piece
   continuously throughout this period.

   The Last Supper specifically portrays the reaction given by each
   apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him. All twelve
   apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of
   anger and shock. From left to right:
     * Bartholomew, James the Lesser and Andrew form a group of three, all
       are surprised. Andrew holds both of his hands up in a "stop!"
       gesture.
     * Judas Iscariot, Peter and John form another group of three. Judas
       is wearing green and is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and
       taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a
       small bag of silver, given to him as payment to betray Jesus. Peter
       looks angry; perhaps foreshadowing Peter's reaction in Gethsemane.
       Peter is holding a knife, which is pointed away from Christ, also a
       foreshadowing of Peter's violent protection of Christ in
       Gethsemane. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.
     * Thomas, James Major and Philip are the next group of three. Thomas
       is clearly upset; James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in
       the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some
       explanation.
     * Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot are the final group of
       three. Both Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon,
       perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial
       questions.

   These names are all agreed upon by art historians. In the 19th century,
   a manuscript (The Notebooks Leonardo Da Vinci pg. 232) was found with
   their names; before this only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus were
   positively identified.

   In common with other depictions of the Last Supper from this period,
   Leonardo adopts the convention of seating the diners on one side of the
   table, so that none of them have their backs to us. However, most
   previous depictions had typically excluded Judas by placing him alone
   on the opposite side of the table from the other twelve. Another
   technique commonly used was placing halos around all the disciples
   except Judas. Leonardo creates a more dramatic and realistic effect by
   having Judas lean back into shadow. He also creates a realistic and
   psychologically engaging means to explain why Judas takes the bread at
   the same time as Jesus, just after Jesus has predicted that this is
   what his betrayer will do. Jesus is shown saying this to Saints Thomas
   and James to his left, who react in horror as Jesus points with his
   left hand to a piece of bread before them. Distracted by the
   conversation between John and Peter, Judas reaches for a different
   piece of bread, as, unseen by him, Jesus too stretches out with his
   right hand towards it. All of the angles and lighting draw attention to
   Christ.

   The painting contains several references to the number 3, which may be
   an allusion to the Holy Trinity. The Apostles are seated in groupings
   of three; there are three windows behind Jesus; and the shape of Jesus'
   figure resembles a triangle. There may have been many other references
   that have since been lost to the painting's deterioration.

Medium

   Leonardo painted The Last Supper on a dry wall rather than on wet
   plaster, so it is not a true fresco. Because a fresco cannot be
   modified as the artist works, Leonardo instead chose to seal the stone
   wall with a layer of pitch, gesso and mastic, then paint onto the
   sealing layer with tempera. Because of the method used, the piece has
   not withstood time very well – within several years of completion it
   already began showing signs of deterioration.

Damage and restorations

   As early as 1517 the painting was starting to flake. By 1556 — less
   than sixty years after it was finished — Leonardo's biographer Giorgio
   Vasari described the painting as already "ruined" and so deteriorated
   that the figures were unrecognizable. In 1652 a doorway was cut through
   the (then unrecognizable) painting, and later bricked up; this can
   still be seen as the irregular arch shaped structure near the centre
   base of the painting. It is believed, through early copies, that Jesus'
   feet were in a position symbolizing the forthcoming crucifixion. In
   1768 a curtain was hung over the painting for the purpose of
   protection; it instead trapped moisture on the surface, and whenever
   the curtain was pulled back, it scratched the flaking paint.

   A first restoration was attempted in 1726 by Michelangelo Bellotti, who
   filled in missing sections with oil paint then varnished the whole
   mural. This repair lasted very poorly and another restoration was
   attempted in 1770 by Giuseppe Mazza. Mazza stripped off Bellotti's work
   then largely repainted the painting; he had redone all but three faces
   when he was halted due to public outrage. In 1796 French troops used
   the refectory as an armory; they threw stones at the painting and
   climbed ladders to scratch out the Apostles' eyes. The refectory was
   then later used as a prison; it is not known if any of the prisoners
   may have damaged the painting. In 1821 Stefano Barezzi, an expert in
   removing whole frescoes from their walls intact, was called in to
   remove the painting to a safer location; he badly damaged the centre
   section before realising that Leonardo's work was not a fresco. Barezzi
   then attempted to reattach damaged sections with glue. From 1901 to
   1908, Luigi Cavenaghi first completed a careful study of the structure
   of the painting, then began cleaning it. In 1924 Oreste Silvestri did
   further cleaning, and stabilised some parts with stucco.

   During World War II, on August 15, 1943, the refectory was struck by a
   bomb; protective sandbagging prevented the painting being struck by
   bomb splinters, but it may have been damaged further by the vibration.
   From 1951 to 1954 another clean-and-stabilise restoration was
   undertaken by Mauro Pelliccioli.

Major restoration

   From 1978 to 1999 Pinin Brambilla Barcilon guided a major restoration
   project which undertook to permanently stabilise the painting, and
   reverse the damage caused by dirt, pollution, and the misguided 18th
   century and 19th century restoration attempts. Since it had proved
   impracticable to move the painting to a more controlled environment,
   the refectory was instead converted to a sealed, climate controlled
   environment. Then, detailed study was undertaken to determine the
   painting's original form, using scientific tests (especially infrared
   reflectoscopy and microscopic core-samples), and original cartoons
   preserved in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. Some areas were
   deemed unrestorable. These were re-painted with watercolour in subdued
   colours intended to indicate they were not original work, whilst not
   being too distracting.

   This restoration took 21 years and on May 28, 1999 the painting was put
   back on display, although intending visitors are required to book ahead
   and can only stay for 15 minutes. When it was unveiled, considerable
   controversy was aroused by the dramatic changes in colours, tones, and
   even some facial shapes. James Beck, professor of art history at
   Columbia University and founder of ArtWatch International, has been a
   particularly strong critic.

   The painting as it appeared before the major restoration in 1979 can be
   seen here.

Legends and alternative theories

   A common legend surrounding the painting is that the same model was
   used for both Jesus and Judas. The story often goes that the
   innocent-looking young man, a baker, posed at nineteen for Jesus. Some
   years later Leonardo discovered a hard-bitten criminal as the model for
   Judas, not realizing he was the same man. There is no evidence that
   Leonardo used the same model for both figures and the story usually
   overestimates the time it took Leonardo to finish the mural.

   There is a theory, first publicized in 1997 in the pseudohistorical
   book The Templar Revelation by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, that the
   person to the left of Jesus (to His right) is actually Mary Magdalene,
   rather than the apostle John (as most art historians identify the
   figure). This theory is central to Dan Brown's popular 2003 novel The
   Da Vinci Code.

   In the novel, it is said that John/Mary Magdalene has a womanly bosom,
   feminine facial features, and is swaying gracefully toward Peter. Peter
   appears to be making a threatening gesture across John/Mary's throat.
   The author uses this theory to advance his view that Leonardo da Vinci
   was once the head of a secret society, the Priory of Sion, which
   protects the secret of Jesus' royal bloodline, and the location of his
   modern descendants.

   Critics of the novel's theories also point out that:
     * While damage makes it impossible to be sure of the figure's gender,
       it appears to be wearing male clothing.

     * There are only thirteen figures in the painting, so if one is Mary
       Magdalene, an apostle is missing: somebody would have noted a
       missing male apostle earlier. Some have suggested that on the front
       of the figure of Simon Peter there is one hand with a dagger which
       is associated to nobody in the picture, but in clearer
       reproductions this is seen to be Peter's right hand, resting
       against his hip with the palm turned outward; the knife points
       towards Bartholomew (far left) who was to be executed by being
       flayed. It may also indicate Peter's impulsive nature, as he cuts
       off a soldier's ear in John 18:10. A detailed preliminary drawing
       of the arm exists.

     * Some of the painting's cartoons (preliminary sketches) are
       preserved, and none show female faces.

   Castagno's version of The Last Supper, depicting St. John sleeping
   Enlarge
   Castagno's version of The Last Supper, depicting St. John sleeping
     * Other paintings from that period ( Castagno’s 1447 and
       Ghirlandaio’s 1480) also show John to be a very boyish or feminine
       looking figure with long fair hair. This was because John was
       supposed to have been the youngest and most unquestioningly devoted
       of the apostles. Hence he is often shown asleep against Jesus's
       shoulder. It was common in the period to show neophytes as very
       young or even feminine figures, as a way of showing their inferior
       position.

     * Leonardo also portrayed a male saint with similar effeminate
       features in his painting St. John the Baptist.

   There have also been other popular speculations about the work:
     * It has been suggested that there is no cup in the painting, yet
       Jesus's left hand is pointing to the Eucharist and his right to a
       glass of wine. This is not the glorified chalice of legend as
       Leonardo insisted on realistic paintings. He often criticised
       Michelangelo for painting muscular, superhuman figures in the
       Sistine Chapel.

     * It is claimed that if one looks above the figure of Bartholemew, a
       Grail-like image appears on the wall. Whether Leonardo meant this
       to be a representation of the Holy Grail cannot be known, since as
       pointed out earlier there is a glass on the table within Christ's
       reach. The "Grail image" has become noticed probably because it
       only appears when viewing the painting in small scale
       reproductions. Zooming in on the painting reveals a cluster of
       geometrical shapes, possibly intended to represent marble wall
       decoration, or more likely, panneling on a door. They only appear
       to form a golden chalice when parts are deliberately occluded.

     * It is argued that the colour of Jesus' and "Mary"'s clothes are
       inversions of each other, which suggest the two halves of marriage.
       However, there are other apostles with clothing of the same colors.
       Philip's clothing is also an inversion of Jesus's.

     * No credible researchers have ever supported the suggestion that the
       doorway was cut purposely to eliminate a sleeping apostle John from
       beneath the table, an image that would supposedly have proved that
       the figure appearing to the left of Jesus was Mary Magdalene.
       Several copies were painted before the door was cut. None show
       another figure, only table-legs and the sandled feet of Jesus.

The Last Supper in culture

Art

   The Last Supper made in salt in Wieliczka salt mine (Poland)
   Enlarge
   The Last Supper made in salt in Wieliczka salt mine (Poland)

   A fine 16th century oil on canvas copy is conserved in the abbey of
   Tongerlo, Antwerp, Belgium. It reveals many details that are no longer
   visible on the original. The Roman mosaic artist Giacomo Raffaelli made
   another life-sized copy ( 1809- 1814) in the Viennese Minoritenkirche.

   In modern times the painting has also been much imitated and parodied
   in art and photography. Mary Beth Edelson's "Some Living American Women
   Artists/Last Supper" (1971) reproduced the composition with Georgia
   O'Keeffe in the central position. Likewise, Yo Mama's Last Supper, a
   controversial work of art by Renée Cox, was a montage of five
   photographs of twelve black men and a naked black woman (the artist's
   self portrait) posed in imitation of Leonardo's painting. Cox is
   pictured naked and standing, with her arms reaching upwards, as Jesus.
   The piece is exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and received
   acclaim and criticism in heavy measure, the latter notably by former
   mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani.

   In 1988, modern artist Vik Muniz famously displayed a recreation of The
   Last Supper, made entirely out of Bosco Chocolate Syrup.

   In 2003, when pop star Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch was raided in
   a search for evidence regarding child molestation charges, a pastiche
   of The Last Supper was found. A photograph of this piece of art was
   taken and it depicts a similar scene as in the original work, except
   this one has Jackson posing in the position of Jesus, with the apostles
   replaced by great creative figures of history. It hangs above Jackson's
   bed in his private quarters.

Drama and film

   A play has also been written called The Living Last Supper, in which
   the painting is depicted on stage and the twelve disciples break from
   the group individually and address the audience.

   The painting has been parodied in several films, the most notable being
   perhaps Luis Buñuel's Viridiana (1961). Robert Altman's dark comedy
   M*A*S*H (1970) includes a sub-plot about the camp dentist, the high
   point of which recreates Leonardo's tableau. The 1973 film Jesus Christ
   Superstar has Jesus and the twelve apostles, gathered in the Garden of
   Gethsemane, pause at one point in the music and freeze into the tableau
   positions. The 1981 Mel Brooks film History of the World, Part I
   features Brooks as a waiter at the last supper who poses in the
   background as a Leonardo character is painting their portrait. In 2004
   a Christmas edition of the British TV show Shameless caused controversy
   by portraying the disfunctional family at the centre of the show in a
   copy of the composition, with the alcoholic father played by David
   Threlfall as Jesus.

   Likewise, in the movie Paradise Now, just before Said and Khaled leave
   for their "mission", they sit down to enjoy a "last supper". Said,
   Khaled and 11 other recruits sit facing the camera, similar to
   Leonardo's last supper. There are 13 people in the scene though, with
   no one exactly in the centre (where Jesus would be), possibly to avoid
   offending both Christians and Muslims, who see Jesus as a prophet of
   Allah, and portrayal of any of Islam's prophets is forbidden.

Popular culture

   In the 1998 episode "Streaking" of the Fox series That '70s Show, the
   principal cast members assemble into the poses of the subjects of The
   Last Supper as they discuss streaking at a campaign rally for President
   Gerald Ford.

   The cover for comedian George Carlin's 2004 book When Will Jesus Bring
   the Pork Chops? parodies The Last Supper with Carlin replacing Jesus at
   the table.

   Also in 2004, rapper Nas' album cover of Street's Disciple was
   influenced by the Last Supper.

   Also in 2004, an advertisement appeared for the popular HBO series "The
   Sopranos" depicting twelve of the cast members surrounding the central
   figure of Tony Soprano posed as in the Last Supper. Though only briefly
   in the public eye, it generated some controversy at the time.

   In 2005, an advertisement for French fashion house Marithé François
   Girbaud based on Leonardo's painting sparked controversy in Italy.
   Jesus and the apostles were cast as fashionably dressed females, the
   only male in the picture being a bare-chested young man sitting on a
   model's lap. The advertisement was withdrawn after protests by Italian
   Catholics.

   In the 2006 artbook Football Heroes, English cartoonist Beach depicts
   the 1958 Brazilian World Cup football team in the daVinci tableau, with
   Pelé as the Jesus figure.

   In episode 13 of the anime GetBackers, Akabane Kurodou explained the
   meaning of the painting to Ginji Amano when they saw the painting
   hanging on a wall inside Babylon City.

   At the end of the episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer Simpson goes
   to heaven, the episode ends with thirteen people at Moe's Tavern. They
   freeze for a few seconds, and their positions are in obvious parody of
   Leonardo's painting.

   In the episode of " Gilmore Girls" titled "The Festival of Living Art,"
   the members of the town participate in the titular festival and
   physically recreate the painting.

   In the 1997 film Con Air starring Nicholas Cage, John Cusack and John
   Malkovich, a picture of the Last Supper is given to a prisoner with the
   eyes cut-out. When the picture is putover a letter it reveals a
   message.

   The cover for the 1999 DVD release by heavy metal band Black Sabbath
   (also titled "The Last Supper") parodies the DaVinci painting,
   depicting members of the band in place of four of the apostles.
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