The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

The Last Supper (Il cenacolo) is a mural painting executed between 1495
and 1498 by the multifaceted Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). It was
commissioned by Ludovico Sforza for the refectory of the Convent of Santa
Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Leonardo did not charge for it. The scene
recreates the last Passover meal between Jesus and his apostles, from the
account described in the Gospel of John, chapter 13.

Ernst Gombrich says that in this work Leonardo was not afraid to make the
necessary drawing corrections to give it total naturalism and verisimilitude,
something rarely seen in previous mural painting, characterized by
deliberately sacrificing the correctness of the drawing for other elements.
This was Leonardo's intention in mixing tempera and oil painting for this
work.
In his version of the Last Supper, Leonardo wanted to show the exact
moment of the disciples' reaction when Jesus announces the betrayal of
one of those present (Jn 13:21-31). The shock is evident in the

painting thanks to the dynamism of the characters who, instead of

remaining inert, react energetically to the announcement.

Leonardo introduces for the first time in the art of this type a great
dramatism and tension between the characters, which is not usual. This
does not prevent him from achieving that the composition enjoys great
harmony, serenity and balance, thus preserving the aesthetic values of the
Renaissance.
It stands out the fact that Judas, unlike the iconographic tradition, is not
separated from the group, but is integrated among the diners, in the same
group as Peter and John. With this, Leonardo introduces an innovation in
the fresco that puts it at the center of the artistic references of his time.

In addition, Leonardo manages to give a truly differentiated treatment to

each of the characters on stage. Thus, he does not generalize the
representation of them in a single type, but each one is endowed with his
own physical and psychological traits.

Also surprising is the fact that Leonardo puts a knife in Peter's hands, in
allusion to what will happen shortly after in the arrest of Christ. With this,
Leonardo manages to delve into the psychology of Peter's character,
undoubtedly one of the most radical apostles.
Perspective of The Last Supper

Leonardo uses the vanishing point perspective or linear perspective,

characteristic of Renaissance art. The main focus of his perspective will be
Jesus, the center of reference of the composition. Although all points converge
on Jesus, his open and expansive position with outstretched arms and calm
gaze contrasts and balances the work.

Leonardo's particular use of vanishing point perspective, combined with the

representation of a classical architectural space, creates the illusion that the
refectory space is enlarged to include such important diners. This is part of the
illusionistic effect achieved through the principle of verisimilitude.

The illumination
One of the elements typical of the Renaissance was the use of a system of
windows, to which Leonardo resorted a lot. These allowed the
introduction, on the one hand, of a source of natural light, and on the other,
spatial depth. Pierre Francastel referred to these windows as an
anticipation of what would become in the coming centuries the "veduta",
that is, the view of the landscape.

The illumination of the fresco The Last Supper comes from the three
windows in the background. Behind Jesus, a wider window opens the
space, also demarcating the importance of the protagonist of the scene. In
this way, Leonardo also avoids the use of the halo of sanctity that was
normally arranged around the head of Jesus or the saints.

The philosophical approach

Leonardo da Vinci understood painting as a science, since it implied the
construction of knowledge: philosophy, geometry, anatomy and more were
disciplines that Leonardo applied in painting. The artist did not limit
himself to simply imitating reality or to constructing a principle of
verisimilitude by pure formalism. On the contrary, behind each of
Leonardo's works there was a more rigorous approach.

According to some researchers, Leonardo would have reflected in the

fresco of The Last Supper his philosophical conception of the so-called
Platonic triad, highly valued in those years. The Platonic triad would be
formed by the values of Truth, Goodness and Beauty, following the line of
the Florentine Platonic Academy, of Ficino and Mirandola. This school of
thought defended Neoplatonism in opposition to Aristotelianism, and
sought to find a reconciliation of Christian doctrine with Plato's philosophy.

The Platonic triad is represented in some way in three of the four groups of
characters, since the group with Judas would be a rupture. It is presumed,
therefore, that the group on the far right of the fresco could be the
representation of Plato, Ficino and Leonardo himself self-portrayed, who
have a discussion about the truth of Christ.

The third group, on the other hand, would be interpreted by some scholars
as an evocation of Platonic love in search of beauty. This group could also
represent the Holy Trinity due to the gestures of the apostles. Thomas
points to the Most High, James the Greater extends his arms as if evoking
the body of Christ on the cross and, finally, Philip brings his hands to his
chest, as a sign of the interior presence of the Holy Spirit.

State of conservation

The Last Supper has deteriorated over the years. In fact, the deterioration
began a few months after it was completed. This is a consequence of the
materials used by Leonardo. The artist took his time to work, and the fresco
technique did not suit him as it required speed and did not admit repainting,
since the plaster surface dried very quickly. Therefore, in order not to sacrifice
the mastery of the execution, Leonardo devised to mix oil with tempera.

However, because the plaster does not adequately absorb the oil paint, the
fresco soon began to deteriorate, which has led to numerous attempts at
restoration. To date, much of the surface has been lost.

Something that highlights this work, so admired by Leonardo da Vinci, is

undoubtedly all the feeling and patience of the strokes in countless stories
about the making of this beautiful work of Renaissance times, you can
understand how Leonardo was not looking for something simple, but
something unique that could be appreciated by people in a way that the
perspective sought to catch the viewer and make him feel as if he were in
this famous event.

This work of art caught my attention not for its meaning, but for its
incredible history that allowed me to know better the author and apply
some methods of analysis on it, mainly Leonardo took the time to
mentalize his work part by part which gave him a much better artistic
approach to impregnate his acquired knowledge in the work to be
represented, besides that he took the time to make sure that the work was
exactly as he imagined it, taking the details to madness. Of course he did
not leave aside the simplicity of the strokes that give a touch of realism key
to the feeling of presence in the work, something that Leonardo sought to
highlight was the presence of people in the work and thus achieved an
effect that regardless of the imperfections of the work the viewer would feel
at ease with the work done.

From the social point of view this work is important for art fans and its
wonders, it is worth mentioning among them this incredible work of world
renown, which has caused several unknowns about how its author was
dedicated to hide small details that with a little analysis come to light, what
I mean by this is that despite being art is a form of expression considered by
society as beautiful and complex which gives it its real importance in
society.

My vision of maker culture is reflected in the laborious work that is

presented in it, besides having a good artistic approach and the recognized
inventor who carried it out known as Leonardo da Vinci, and if that were
not enough.