Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper: A Renaissance Masterpiece
Leonardo da Vinci's mural painting the Last Supper was created between 1495 and 1498. The Renaissance masterpiece has struggled to remain intact throughout the years to date. Moreover, even in his lifetime, the painting had begun to wear off. The art was further destroyed when a door was cut through the art because at the time his work was not as esteemed as it is today. Leonardo made the painting with an oil/tempera mix on drywall. The painting is a scheme of an illustration of the last supper of Christ as described in the book of John 13:21. The disciples surround him, and Jesus announces that one of them will betray him. The painting depicts each disciple's reaction to the news. The last supper by Leonardo da Vinci is a unique and complicated Christian art that extends beyond being a straightforward biblical art and factors in mathematical symbolism, complex psychology perspective, and dramatic focus use.
The Disciples in Leonardo's Last Supper
The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci have helped in indicating the identity of each disciple on the painting. It has identified the disciples from left to right, and they are depicted in groups of three. Bartholomew, James, and Andrew are in awe at the news and are in the first group. The second group comprises of Judas Iscariot, Peter, and John who react differently to the news (Da Vinci, 2012). Judas seems to be taken aback, Peter is holding a knife and appears impassioned, and John seems to be swooning. The third group includes Thomas who seems angry, James is in shock, and Philip looks like he is in need of an explanation. The final group comprises of Jude, Matthew, and Simon. Jude and Matthew are looking at Simon for answers. The painting is live, and da Vinci has managed to create a complete contrast of the disciples with the composed and serene pose of Jesus.
The Composition and Perspective of Leonardo's Last Supper
Jesus is at the center of the composition just like other Christian art pieces of the period. Many architectural attributes intersect on his frame, and his head is the point of dispersion for all perspective lines. The event makes the piece an embodiment of the single point linear perspective that was common in the Renaissance period. The expansive gesture of the painting is an indication that the holy sacrament is for the nuns and monks of the monastery (King, 2012). In other paintings of the High Renaissance, Judas is the only disciple who is depicted without a halo or is seated alone from the other disciples. In his painting, Leonardo has depicted every disciple seated on one side of the table in a way that they face the viewer. Nonetheless, Judas is still marked and can be identified from the rest of the disciples. He holds the thirty pieces of silver he was paid to betray Jesus in a bag, and he seats next to a knocked over salt pot. He is the only figure left in shadow, and his head is much lower than any other disciple in the painting.
The Dramatic Perspective of Leonardo's Last Supper
The subject matter of the painting is the dramatic perspective of the story of the gospels. The dramatic happenings that occur during the last supper include Jesus washing his disciple's feet and after he tells his disciples to eat and drink the bread and the wine before finally telling them that one of them will betray him. In depicting the reaction of the disciples, Leonardo has used repetitive basic shapes as the main elements of his painting in a bid to emphasize and highlight the subject matter (Ladwein, 2006). As such, the viewer can identify with the energy and the activity that is evident in the painting. Three windows are behind the figure of Jesus which are part of the architectural elements. The angles presented in the picture and the lighting highlight the figure of Jesus whose head is at the ending point of all perspective.
Controversies and Unique Aspects of Leonardo's Last Supper
The last supper by Leonardo builds on the painting traditions of the Renaissance in aspects such as composition and perspective, but it's different in that it captures the psychological and emotional states of the figures as depicted in the four Gospels. Leonardo's depiction of the characters concentrates on human personalities where the reaction of each disciple to the news of the betrayal is captured. Every disciple has a distinct emotion and personality. Jesus points at Judas with his one hand while he points to the wine with the other. The meal is a symbol of his body and blood, and he gives his disciples orders to eat and drink. Jesus sits emotionless as the viewer observes the turbulence of the disciple's reactions. He sits in complete serenity as if alone and betrayed while his disciples are in groups. The knife that Peter holds may be a foreshadowing because later he cuts off a soldier's ear as recorded in John 18:10. The isolation of Judas in Leonardo's Last Supper is psychological in comparison with the work of other artists. He has a blank stare on his face, and he looks withdrawn from the rest. Jesus and Judas reach out for the bread at the same time just as Jesus had predicted that his betrayer would do.
The Inclusion of Mary Magdalene and Leonardo's Technique
The controversy around the Last Supper is that Leonardo has included Mary Magdalene in the painting. When he was requested to make a painting of the Last Supper, naturally, he had to add Jesus and the 12 disciples. Hence, a disciple would have to miss for him to include Mary Magdalene in the painting. The figure depicted to be Mary Magdalene is adorned in men's clothing and is commonly identified as John. The preliminary sketches of the painting have been preserved, and they do not show any female figure. Castagno's a Ghirlandaio's depiction of the last supper identify John as a young lad with boyish or feminine looks and long hair. He is often depicted sleeping next to the figure of Jesus. He was the youngest of the disciples and the most devoted of them all.
Leonardo's Unique Technique and Style
The technique used by Leonardo differs from that of other artists during the Renaissance period. He used an original method to work on the mural. He used a reluctant manner and an intense concentration that was not common to the period. He had to apply the pigment quickly before the plaster dried which precluded any changes during the actual painting. He did not use fresco and created his technique which could be described as tempera on stone. Leonardo started by coating the wall with a base that was strong composed of gesso, pitch, and mastic. The base would be important in the absorption of the tempera emulsion and t would serve to protect the composition from moisture. Over the years the base has proved to be flimsy. The decay began in 1517 as the pigment started to loosen and break from the base. Frescoes required a wood panel unlike the material used for the Last Supper which has been subject to changing levels of heat, humidity, and moisture and somewhat create some doubt on Leonardo's technique (Wasserman, 1983). His distinctive use of perspective enabled him to extend the refectory which had the effect of creating an illusion. An example of the method is a hole made with a nail in the temple of Jesus. The nail helped him to see the perspective of the room by radiating strings in varied directions.
Comparison with Other Renaissance Artists
The last supper as depicted by Leonardo is quite distinctive in comparison with some of the artists of his time such as Andrea Del Castagno. Castagno's painting was made in 1447 in the Early Renaissance and is a typical representation of the art of the time (Zirpolo, 2009). Castagno used linear perspective together with ornate forms at the bench's ends. Further, he uses marble paneling that denigrates the spirituality of the event. On the other hand, Leonardo removed all complexities from the architecture which served to eliminate inessential and deflecting details and the result was the amplification of the spirituality of the piece. There is an arching pediment and a window in the painting that suggests a halo. The table that is in front of the crowded figures separates the spiritual realm of the painting from the earthly world of the viewer. The emphasis by Leonardo on spirituality creates a more naturalistic painting when compared to Castagno's. Nonetheless, Castagno painted his piece during the Early Renaissance while Leonardo painted his during the High Renaissance. The two paintings were painted to remind the nuns and the monks that their daily assembly for meals was an established bible tradition.
Dynamic Unity and Emotional Expressiveness in Leonardo's Last Supper
Leonardo's work contains an aspect of dynamic unity which is not present in Castagno's work. Dynamic unity was a common element of the paintings of the High Renaissance period. It consisted of compositions that formed shapes of sweeping arcs, and the figures were depicted in different poses and gestures. The painting by Leonardo contains dynamic characters of the disciples as they reacted to the news of the betrayal of Jesus Christ (Newton, 1983). The figures of the disciples have each been individualized to portray the emotions of the disciples at the particular time. Leonardo used different clothing and hairstyles to identify each disciple. The bodies have elongated lines which give the painting a sense of movement as well as tension. Further, the figures overlap into the space of each other creating flow and movement.
Conclusion
Leonardo's Da Vinci depiction of the last supper stands out because he goes beyond the usual straightforward representation of the event that was preferred by the artist of his time and includes various aspects that incorporate spirituality and emotion into the figures of his painting. He has identified each disciple with the feeling they portrayed at the news of the betrayal of Jesus by one of them. Jesus remains at the center of the composition which is a representation of the single point linear perspective common to the Renaissance. Leonardo uses dynamic unity to present the emotion of each disciple efficiently. Nonetheless, the base that Leonardo uses for his painting is not sufficient because of its low durability which has seen the painting wear down over the years putting Leonardo's expertise in question. Leonardo's piece is different from that of his counterparts because it eliminates the complexities of architecture that is evident in other artist's compositions.
References
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Da Vinci, L. (2012). The notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Vol. 1). New York: Courier Corporation.
King, R. (2012). Leonardo and the Last supper. London: Bollmsbury.
Ladwein, M. (2006). Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper: A cosmic drama and an act of redemption. Forest Row: Temple Lodge.
Newton, H. T. (1983). Leonardo da Vinci as mural painter: some observations on his materials and working methods. Arte lombarda, 71-88.
Wasserman, J. (1983). Reflections on the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci. Arte Lombarda, 15-34.
Zirpolo, L. H. (2009). The A to Z of Renaissance Art. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Pub. Group.
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