"The Last Supper" has frequently been referenced, reproduced, or parodied in Western culture. Some of the more notable examples are:
In culture
The Last Supper (Leonardo)
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | In culture
It has frequently been referenced, reproduced, or parodied in Western culture. It has frequently been referenced, reproduced, or parodied in Western culture Referenced, reproduced, or parodied in Western culture It has frequently been referenced, reproduced, or parodied in Western culture
when was the first man made diamond made
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1954
assistant
what are the materials required to make this?
user
Pure carbon, the belt press, the cubic press and the split-sphere (BARS) press.
assistant
what temperature-pressure conditions are required fopr this?
user
High pressure, high temperature.
assistant
can you mention any of its uses?
user
Machine tools and cutting tools; as a Thermal conductor; as an Optical material; semiconductors ; gemstones
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what is the first one?
user
A machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformation
assistant
can you provide me the historical background for such tools?
user
Forerunners of machine tools included bow drills and potter's wheels, which had existed in ancient Egypt prior to 2500 BC, and lathes, known to have existed in multiple regions of Europe since at least 1000 to 500 BC.
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can you name any prominent figure involved in this background?
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Leonardo da Vinci
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where was he born?
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Tuscan hill town of Vinci, Republic of Florence.
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what was his profession?
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Painter, engineer
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can you name any such painted work by him?
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Mona Lisa, The Last Supper
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by whom was the second one commissioned?
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Ludovico Sforza - Duke of Milan
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what media was used for this work?
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Oil painting
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did it needed repairs later?
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Yes -  Between 1946 and 1954, undertook a clean-and-stabilise restoration, which Brera director was involved in. Pellicioli reattached paint to the wall using a clear shellac, making it relatively darker and more colorful, and removed some of the overpainting. However, as of 1972, the repainting done in various restorations had made the heads of saints Peter, Andrew, and James differ significantly from the original design.
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what is the cultural significance of this painted piece?
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During World War II, on 15 August 1943, the refectory was struck by Allied bombing; protective sandbagging prevented the painting from being struck by bomb splinters, but it may have been damaged by the vibration. Between 1946 and 1954, undertook a clean-and-stabilise restoration, which Brera director was involved in. Pellicioli reattached paint to the wall using a clear shellac, making it relatively darker and more colorful, and removed some of the overpainting. However, as of 1972, the repainting done in various restorations had made the heads of saints Peter, Andrew, and James differ significantly from the original design.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Damage and restorations
By 1556 – fewer than sixty years after it was finished – Giorgio Vasari described the painting as reduced to a "muddle of blots" so deteriorated that the figures were unrecognizable. By the second half of the sixteenth century Gian Paolo Lomazzo stated that "the painting is all ruined". In 1652, a doorway was cut through the (then unrecognisable) painting, and later bricked up; this can still be seen as the irregular arch-shaped structure near the center 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.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Damage and restorations
The Last Supper ( or "L'Ultima Cena" ) is a late 15th-century mural painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci housed by the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. It is one of the Western world's most recognizable paintings. The work is assumed to have been started around 1495–96 and was commissioned as part of a plan of renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John, 13:21.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Introduction
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 did not last well and another restoration was attempted in 1770 by an otherwise unknown artist named 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 revolutionary anti-clerical troops used the refectory as an armory and stable; they threw stones at the painting and climbed ladders to scratch out the Apostles' eyes. Goethe wrote that in 1800, the room was flooded with two feet of water after a heavy rainstorm.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Damage and restorations
Because Sforza had ordered the church to be rebuilt hastily, the masons filled the walls with moisture-retaining rubble. The painting was done on a thin exterior wall, so the effects of humidity were felt keenly, and the paint failed to properly adhere to it. Because of the method used, soon after the painting was completed on 9 February 1498 it began to deteriorate. In 1499, Louis XII contemplated removing the painting from the wall and taking it to France. As early as 1517, the painting was starting to flake, and in 1532 Gerolamo Cardano described it as "blurred and colorless compared with what I remember of it when I saw it as a boy".
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Damage and restorations
C. Richards, Alma Thomas, and June Wayne. As well, other women artists have their image shown in the border of the piece; in all eighty-two women artists are part of the whole image. This image, addressing the role of religious and art historical iconography in the subordination of women, became "one of the most iconic images of the feminist art movement." Sculptor Marisol Escobar rendered "The Last Supper" as a life-sized, three-dimensional, sculptural assemblage using painted and drawn wood, plywood, brownstone, plaster, and aluminum. This work, "Self-Portrait Looking at The Last Supper", (1982–84) is in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Modern art
In 1955, Salvador Dalí painted "The Sacrament of the Last Supper", with Jesus portrayed as blond and clean shaven, pointing upward to a spectral torso while the apostles are gathered around the table heads bowed so that none may be identified. It is reputed to be one of the most popular paintings in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Mary Beth Edelson's "Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper" (1972) appropriated "The Last Supper", with the heads of notable women artists collaged over the heads of Christ and his apostles. The artists collaged over the heads of Christ and his apostles in "Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper" include Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Nancy Graves, Lila Katzen, Lee Krasner, Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Nevelson, Yoko Ono, M.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Modern art
He has been critical of Christ's right arm in the image which has been altered from a draped sleeve to what Daley calls "muff-like drapery".
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Major restoration
Leonardo has depicted the consternation that occurred among the Twelve Apostles when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him. Due to the methods used, a variety of environmental factors, and intentional damage, little of the original painting remains today despite numerous restoration attempts, the last being completed in 1999.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Introduction
Thus its exclusively female audience should be considered in analyzing the work. Castagno painted a large chamber with life-sized figures that confronted the nuns at every meal. The fresco would have served as a didactic image and an inspiration to meditation on their relationship with Jesus. Painted with a careful attention to naturalistic detail—a sense of real space and light, seemingly tangible details of the setting, and lifelike figures—the work must have spoken forcefully of the continued significance of the Eucharistic meal in their own world.
Last Supper (del Castagno) | Introduction
"The Last Supper" has frequently been referenced, reproduced, or parodied in Western culture. Some of the more notable examples are:
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | In culture
"The Last Supper" is to be the subject of an animation by British film-maker Peter Greenaway, who plans to project interpretative images onto its surface to enliven the scene in which the apostles all question Jesus' statement that one of them will betray him.
Cultural references to Leonardo da Vinci | Presentation of existing works
Leonardo responded that if he could find no one else, the prior would make a suitable model. While the painting was being executed, Leonardo's friend, the mathematician Luca Pacioli, called it "a symbol of man's burning desire for salvation".
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Subject
The Last Supper has been a popular subject in Christian art. Such depictions date back to early Christianity and can be seen in the Catacombs of Rome. Byzantine artists frequently focused on the Apostles receiving Communion, rather than the reclining figures having a meal. By the Renaissance, the Last Supper was a favorite topic in Italian art. There are three major themes in the depictions of the Last Supper: the first is the dramatic and dynamic depiction of Jesus's announcement of his betrayal. The second is the moment of the institution of the tradition of the Eucharist. The depictions here are generally solemn and mystical.
Last Supper | Artistic depictions
Debates among art historians still surround the use of the Fibonacci series as some argue that its purposeful use did not fully begin to be applied to architecture until the early 19th century. Giovanni Maria Pala, an Italian musician, has indicated that the positions of hands and loaves of bread can be interpreted as notes on a musical staff and, if read from right to left, as was characteristic of Leonardo's writing, form a musical composition.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Other speculation
The Last Supper is a painting by Daniele Crespi. This depiction of the last meal that Jesus Christ took with his disciples was painted in 1624-25 for the Benedictine monastery at Brugora (Brianza). The composition is based on that of Gaudenzio Ferrari (painted 1541-42), located in the Santa Maria della Passione, Milan.
The Last Supper (Crespi) | Introduction
A document dated 1497 indicates that the painting was nearly completed at that date. One story goes that a prior from the monastery complained to Leonardo about its delay, enraging him. He wrote to the head of the monastery, explaining he had been struggling to find the perfect villainous face for Judas, and that if he could not find a face corresponding with what he had in mind, he would use the features of the prior who had complained.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Commission and creation
It is likely that Leonardo da Vinci was already familiar with this work before he painted his own Last Supper in a more dramatic form to contrast with the stillness of these works, so that more emotion would be displayed.
Andrea del Castagno | "The Last Supper"
The painting's appearance by the late 1970s had become badly deteriorated. From 1978 to 1999, Pinin Brambilla Barcilon guided a major restoration project which undertook to stabilize the painting, and reverse the damage caused by dirt and pollution. The eighteenth- and nineteenth-century restoration attempts were also reversed. Since it had proved impractical to move the painting to a more controlled environment, the refectory was instead converted to a sealed, climate-controlled environment, which meant bricking up the windows. 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.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Major restoration
The right hand of St Peter appears to be replaced by a left hand. Some figures have a remote detachment from emotion, typical of early High Renaissance style, and exemplified by the style of Piero della Francesca. This work, located in the refectory of a convent of cloistered nuns, may or may not have been seen by Leonardo da Vinci was familiar with this work before he painted his far more emotional own Last Supper. The fresco is in an excellent state of conservation, in part because it remained behind a plaster wall for more than a century. The contemporary fresco by Castagno on the top register, not protected, shows the more degradation, and depicts the "Crucifixion", flanked by the "Resurrection" and "Burial of Christ".
Last Supper (del Castagno) | Description
The refectory was 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 center section before realizing 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.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Damage and restorations
The angles and lighting draw attention to Jesus, whose turned right cheek is located at the vanishing point for all perspective lines. In addition, the painting demonstrated Da Vinci's masterful use of perspective as it "draws our attention to the face of Christ at the center of the composition, and Christ's face, through his down-turned gaze, directs our focus along the diagonal of his left arm to his hand and therefore, the bread." Leonardo reportedly used the likenesses of people in and around Milan as inspiration for the painting's figures. The convent's prior complained to Sforza of Leonardo's "laziness" as he wandered the streets to find a criminal to base Judas on.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Subject
"The Last Supper" measures and covers an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The theme was a traditional one for refectories, although the room was not a refectory at the time that Leonardo painted it. The main church building was being completed (in 1498). Leonardo's patron, Ludovico Sforza, planned that the church should be remodeled as a family mausoleum, and to this end, changes were made, perhaps to plans by Bramante. The entire plan was not carried out. and a smaller mortuary chapel was constructed, adjacent to the cloister.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Commission and creation
A 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), commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, that resides in the Minoritenkirche in Vienna.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Non-modern painting, mosaic, and photography
During these cleanings, Pelliccioli revealed many of Leonardo's original details, such as the Assisi embroidery design on the tablecloth and the gold lettering on Judas's robe.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Mauro Pelliccioli
There would have even been precedent for it, since the earlier Italian Renaissance painter Fra Angelico had included her in his painting of the Last Supper. The painting contains several possible numerical references, including to the number three. The Apostles are seated in groups of three, there are three windows behind Jesus, and the shape of Jesus' figure resembles a triangle. His hands are located at the golden ratio of half the height of the composition. The painting can also be interpreted using the Fibonacci series: one table, one central figure, two side walls, three windows and figures grouped in threes, five groups of figures, eight panels on the walls and eight table legs, and thirteen individual figures.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Other speculation
Q. But that one is not a Last Supper, and is not even called the Supper of Our Lord. A. I painted another in the refectory of San Sebastiano in Venice, another at Padua for the Fathers of the Maddalena. I do not remember to have made any others. Q. In this Supper which you painted for San Giovanni e Paolo, what signifies the figure of him whose nose is bleeding? A. He is a servant who has a nose-bleed from some accident. Q. What signify those armed men dressed in the fashion of Germany, with halberds in their hands? A.
The Feast in the House of Levi | Interrogation by the Inquisition
Some areas were deemed unrestorable. These were using watercolor in subdued colors intended to indicate they were not original work, while not being too distracting. This restoration took 21 years and, on 28 May 1999, the painting was returned to display. Intending visitors were required to book ahead and could only stay for 15 minutes. When it was unveiled, considerable controversy was aroused by the dramatic changes in colors, tones, and even some facial shapes. James Beck, professor of art history at Columbia University and founder of ArtWatch International, had been a particularly strong critic. Michael Daley, director of ArtWatch UK, has also complained about the restored version of the painting.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Major restoration
By 1582, it was recorded that "The Last Supper" was “in a state of total ruin.” Around 1652, a door was cut into the refectory wall, destroying the area in which Jesus's feet were depicted. In 1796, French forces, under the orders of Napoleon, took control of Milan and used the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie as their stables. The men of these forces would spend their free time throwing rock, bricks, and horse manure at Leonardo's work. 1800 brought a flood that would fill the refectory with two feet of water for 15 straight days. Due to the standing water, the walls absorbed moisture, leading to a thick green mold covering the entire painting.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Deterioration of "The Last Supper"
Leonardo, as a painter, favoured oil painting, a medium which allows the artist to work slowly and make changes with ease. Fresco painting does not facilitate either of these things. Leonardo also sought a greater luminosity and intensity of light and shade (chiaroscuro) than could be achieved with fresco. Instead of painting with water-soluble paints onto wet plaster, laid freshly each day in sections, Leonardo painted "The Last Supper" on a wall sealed with a double layer of gesso, pitch, and mastic. Then, borrowing from panel painting, he added an undercoat of white lead to enhance the brightness of the oil and tempera that was applied on top.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Medium
This was a method that had been described previously by Cennino Cennini in the 14th century. However, Cennini described the technique as being more risky than fresco painting, and recommended the use of "a secco" painting (on dry plaster) for the final touches alone.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Medium
Mauro Pelliccioli completed three separate sessions of restoration and conservation work on "The Last Supper". In 1947, Pelliccioli was appointed to complete a cleaning "to be done more radically than the previous work by Cavenaghi and Silvestri." Pelliccioli attempted to rebind the paint to the wall's surface by brushing a shellac over the paint and injecting casein behind. This attempt, according to Pietro Marani, "restored the paint its cohesion, consistency and bright colours." Between 1951 and 1952 and again in 1954, Pelliccioli concentrated on reversing the work completed during the 18th century and restoring the piece to its earliest state.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Mauro Pelliccioli
The conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" is an ongoing project that has spanned many centuries. Completed in the late 15th century by the Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, the mural is located in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. "The Last Supper" was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan in 1495, as part of a series of renovations to the convent with the intention that the location would become the Sforza family mausoleum. Work began on "The Last Supper" in 1495 and lasted until 1498. The scene is understood to depict the Bible verse John 13:22, showing the reactions of the Twelve Disciples, at the Last Supper, in the moments following Jesus’s announcement that one among them will betray him.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Introduction
The 20th century brought advancements in scientific technologies that were used in the restoration and conservation of "The Last Supper". The first person to conduct an analysis of the painting’s chemical components was Luigi Cavenaghi, in 1908. From this analysis, Cavenaghi concluded that the painting was completed in tempera paint, on two layers of plaster.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Luigi Cavenaghi
By 1517, Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" had already started to deteriorate. This fact was noted in many diaries and letters of the time. The corrosion of the work can be accredited to Leonardo’s unconventional painting technique for a work on a wall, as well as the surface itself. The refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie sits in a low-lying part of the city, partial to flooding and dampness. The reverse of the wall on which Leonardo painted is an exterior wall and would have absorbed moisture. The painting was also exposed to the steam and smoke from the convent’s kitchen and from candles used in the refectory itself.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Deterioration of "The Last Supper"
The last episode, far less commonly shown, is the [[Farewell discourse|farewell of Jesus to his disciples]], in which [[Judas Iscariot]] is no longer present, having left the supper; it is mostly found in Italian "[[trecento]]" painting. The depictions here are generally melancholy, as Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure.
Last Supper in Christian art | Washing of feet and farewell
The painting was commissioned by Sforza to decorate the wall of the mausoleum. 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 the Crucifixion fresco by Giovanni Donato da 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 worked on "The Last Supper" from about 1495 to 1498, but did not work continuously. The beginning date is not certain, as the archives of the convent for the period have been destroyed.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Commission and creation
Leonardo da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper in the former refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan took him and his team of assistants about three years to complete. The painting was not painted using traditional fresco technique but used an experimental oil-based medium. This proved to be a disaster as on a wall prone to damp, the paint surface quickly deteriorated. For centuries the painting was subjected to invasive restorations and retouchings.
Leonardo and the Last Supper | Overview
Two early copies of "The Last Supper" are known to exist, presumed to be work by Leonardo's assistants. The copies are almost the size of the original, and have survived with a wealth of original detail still intact. One, by Giampietrino, is in the collection of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and the other, by Cesare da Sesto, is installed at the Church of St. Ambrogio in Ponte Capriasca, Switzerland. A third copy (oil on canvas) is painted by Andrea Solari (c. 1520) and is on display in the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of the Tongerlo Abbey, Belgium.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Important copies
Leonardo balanced the varying emotions of the individual apostles when Jesus stated that one of them would betray him, and portrayed the various attributes of anger, surprise and shock. It is likely that [[Leonardo da Vinci]] was already familiar with [[Last Supper (Ghirlandaio)|Ghirlandaio's "Last Supper"]], as well as that of [[Last Supper (del Castagno)|Castagno]], and painted his own "Last Supper" in a more dramatic form to contrast with the stillness of these works, so that more emotion would be displayed. [[Last Supper (Tintoretto)|Tintoretto's depiction]] (1590–1592) at the [[Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore]] in Venice, also depicts the announcement of the betrayal, and includes secondary characters carrying or taking the dishes from the table.
Last Supper in Christian art | Key examples
The Last Supper (1445–1450) is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea del Castagno, located in the refectory of the convent of Sant'Apollonia, now the "Museo di Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia", and accessed through a door on Via Ventisette Aprile at the corner with Santa Reparata, in Florence, region of Tuscany. The painting depicts Jesus and the Apostles during the Last Supper, with Judas, unlike all the other apostles, sitting separately on the near side of the table, as is common in depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art. Sant'Apollonia was a Benedictine convent of cloistered nuns, and Castagno's fresco was not publicly known until the convent was suppressed in 1866: Vasari, for example, seems not to have known of the painting.
Last Supper (del Castagno) | Introduction
One of the major discoveries during this renovation was a tiny pinhole, that marked Leonardo’s vanishing point, or point of perspective. This renovation lasted until May 28, 1999, a total of 21 years. The former refectory was converted into a climate-controlled, sealed room to help counteract the environmental hazards that could lead to further deterioration. Visitors are now required to pass through several pollution and humidity filtration chambers before entering to see the painting and are only allowed a limited time, 15–20 minutes.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Pinin Brambilla Barcilon
Author Mary Shelley describes her impression of the painting in her travel narrative, "Rambles in Germany and Italy", published 1844:
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Literature
The Superintendent for Artistic and Historical Heritage in Milan ordered a complete examination of Leonardo’s work in 1976. This examination included sonar and radar tests, core samples of the wall, infrared cameras, and x-rays. The Superintendent appointed Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, a well-known and respected art restorer, to oversee a full restoration. During this restoration, steps were taken to carefully remove dirt and grime before starting to reverse past restoration attempts. The restoration team removed the numerous layers of shellac, paint, and oils using “solvent applied with tiny blotters of Japanese paper." Areas that were too damaged or unrecognizable were filled in with light watercolor paints, so as not to detract from the blank areas.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Pinin Brambilla Barcilon
Jesus is dressed in red and has a yellow halo surrounding his head with his face tilted upwards. Jesus is located centrally in the painting surrounded by his disciples with six on each side, and he holds a loaf of bread with a cup of wine in front of him. Out of all of the figures, he is the most in the light with the figures to the farthest left being the most in shadow. “The scene thus represents a perfect conflation of the theological significance of the Last Supper” meaning the conflation between the blessing of the bread and the wine while still being pivotal in the sense of revealing the betrayal.
Last Supper (Rubens) | Introduction
The halos of the apostles have narrowed into thin circles; and the apostles cast shadows. St Peter and another apostle appear to challenge Judas. Ghirlandaio was well known when he received the commission for this fresco, and soon after its completion, he was called to Rome to help decorate the Sistine Chapel. It is likely that Leonardo da Vinci was familiar with this treatment of the subject, as well as that of Castagno, and painted his own Last Supper in a more dramatic form to contrast with the stillness of these works, so that more emotion would be displayed. During the restoration of this fresco, a preliminary sketch of it was discovered on the left wall of the refectory in Cenacolo di Ognissanti.
The Last Supper (Ghirlandaio) | History
In 1821, Stefano Barezzi, convinced that "The Last Supper" was a fresco, attempted to remove the work from the refectory wall. After realizing his mistake, Barezzi attempted to glue the removed paint back onto the wall. Barezzi also added areas of colored stucco. Between 1853 and 1855, Stefano Barezzi was again hired to work on "The Last Supper". During this conservation attempt, Barezzi cleaned the entire surface of the work, as well as removed plaster above the piece, revealing painted lunettes. These lunettes, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, depict the coats of arms of Leonardo's patron, Ludovico Sforza and his sons, Maximilian and Francesco.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Stefano Barezzi
Informational notes Citations Bibliography Further reading
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | References
The hand positions of the final pair of apostles on either end of the fresco mirror each other with accomplished realism. The colors of the apostles' robes and their postures contribute to the balance of the piece. The highly detailed marble walls hearken back to Roman "First Style" wall paintings, and the pillars and griffon statues recall Classical sculpture and "trompe l'oeil" painting. Furthermore, the color highlights in the hair of the figures, flowing robes, and perspective in the halos foreshadow advancements to come. The "Last Supper" was a major work by Castagno and his studio. The quality of figures and details can be uneven.
Last Supper (del Castagno) | Description
Leonardo's most famous painting of the 1490s is "The Last Supper", commissioned for the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan. It represents the last meal shared by Jesus with his disciples before his capture and death, and shows the moment when Jesus has just said "one of you will betray me", and the consternation that this statement caused. The writer Matteo Bandello observed Leonardo at work and wrote that some days he would paint from dawn till dusk without stopping to eat and then not paint for three or four days at a time. This was beyond the comprehension of the prior of the convent, who hounded him until Leonardo asked Ludovico to intervene.
Leonardo da Vinci | Paintings of the 1490s
In Luis Buñuel's 1961 Spanish film "Viridiana", a "tableau vivant" of Leonardo's painting is staged with beggars. Another beggar "photographs" the scene by flashing them. This scene contributed to its refusal by the Vatican who called it "blasphemous." The painting is parodied in the original 1970 movie "MASH", in the scene where Hawkeye Pierce stages a "last supper" for Walt (Painless) Waldowski before his planned suicide. The various doctors, all in surgical scrubs, pose in imitation of the painting. In Norman Jewison's 1973 film version of "Jesus Christ Superstar", in the Last Supper sequence, Jesus and the 12 apostles briefly mimic the posture of each character in Da Vinci's painting.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Film and television
The painting depicts the Last Supper, described in the New Testament, the last meal of Jesus Christ with his twelve apostles, during which he predicted that one of them — Judas Iscariot -— would betray him. This plot was popular among artists in the field of Christian art — their versions of the image of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, among others, created by Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Andrea del Castagno.
Last Supper (Ge) | Introduction
The Last Supper (1480) is a fresco depicting the Last Supper of Jesus by the Italian Renaissance artist Domenico Ghirlandaio; it is located in the refectory of the Convent of the Ognissanti on Borgo Ognissanti #42 in central Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. It is one of three Last Supper frescoes painted by Ghirlandaio in Florence, the others being for the Badia di Passignano (1476) and for the "Cenacolo di San Marco" (1486).
The Last Supper (Ghirlandaio) | Introduction
Michael Anthony Novak, a Catholic theologian, presented a paper on the subject of this piece in 2005. He proposes that Dalí's intention was not simply to paint the event of the last supper. He later stated: Other critics, like Novak, say, by looking at the title, the focus is not placed on one evening two thousand years ago. The lack of individualization of the apostles, their lack of focus on Christ and the almost dematerialized Christ reaches beyond the fact of the event. Some say because Christ points to himself and the floating torso above him it could possibly be that he is referring to himself as already ascended to heaven.
The Sacrament of the Last Supper | Symbolism and interpretations
The painting was commissioned by the Rev. Fr. Carmelo Caruana, curator of the church, and vice parish priest. The painting was put in place in 1917. The decorator Antonio Agius is responsible for the frame, which was done a year later. This, and his other works in the parish church are considered to be his climax. The stone sculptures at the bottom of the frame were removed when the walls of the chancel were covered in marble (see right).
The Last Supper (Pisani) | Painting
The third major theme is the farewell of Jesus to his disciples, in which Judas Iscariot is no longer present, having left the supper. The depictions here are generally melancholy, as Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure. There are also other, less frequently depicted scenes, such as the washing of the feet of the disciples. Well known examples include Leonardo da Vinci's depiction, which is considered the first work of High Renaissance art due to its high level of harmony, Tintoretto's depiction which is unusual in that it includes secondary characters carrying or taking the dishes from the table and Salvadore Dali's depiction combines the typical Christian themes with modern approaches of Surrealism.
Last Supper | Artistic depictions
First there is the innkeeper, Simon; then, under him, a carving squire whom I supposed to have come there for his pleasure, to see how the service of the table is managed. There are many other figures which I cannot remember, however, as it is a long time since I painted that picture. Q. Have you painted other Last Suppers besides that one? A. Yes. Q. How many have you painted? Where are they? A. I painted one at Verona for the reverend monks of San Lazzaro; it is in their refectory. Another is in the refectory of the reverend brothers of San Giorgio here in Venice.
The Feast in the House of Levi | Interrogation by the Inquisition
The Last Supper is a painting depicting the Lord's Supper created by Lazzaro Pisani. It is currently the titular altarpiece of the Parish Church in Għasri dedicated to the Institution of the Eucharist.
The Last Supper (Pisani) | Introduction
In 1573 Veronese completed the commission for "The Feast in the House of Levi", a last-supper painting for the rear wall of the refectory at the Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Castello, Venice. Originally titled "The Last Supper", the painting was to replace a Titian painting burnt in a fire; Veronese's oversized (5.55m x 12.80m) replacement depicted a Last Supper banquet scene that included German soldiers, dwarves, and animals — the human and animal exotica usual to Veronese's representational narratives. Artistically, "The Feast in the House of Levi" indicates Veronese's technical development in using intense and luminous colours for texture, attention to narrative coherence, the acute representation of human emotion, and the psychologically subtle interplay occurring among the characters who crowd the scene.
Paolo Veronese | "The Feast in the House of Levi"
Tongue-in-cheek critiques have interpreted the piece as a multifaceted comment on both sacred and secular themes. A "Forbes" commentator suggested that the "inept restoration" represented "one woman's vision of her savior, uncompromised by schooling". In September 2012 the artistic group Wallpeople presented hundreds of reworked versions of the new image on a wall near the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. An organizer commented that "Cecilia has created a pop icon". Later on, Spanish actress Assumpta Serna co-produced with Wildcard UK a documentary called "Fresco Fiasco" and acted in the movie "Behold the Monkey", two films about the restoration. Both projects were seen in February 2016 on the "Sky Arts" network in the UK.
Ecce Homo (Martínez and Giménez) | Artistic significance
"Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper" (1972) appropriated Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," with the heads of notable women artists collaged over the heads of Christ and his apostles. Christ's head is overlaid with that of Georgia O'Keeffe. The artists collaged over the apostles include Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Nancy Graves, Lila Katzen, Lee Krasner, Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Nevelson, Yoko Ono, M. C. Richards, Alma Thomas, and June Wayne. As well, other women artists have their image shown in the border of the piece; in all eighty-two women artists are part of the whole image.
Mary Beth Edelson | "Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper"
Head of Christ is a c.1494 chalk and pastel study by Leonardo da Vinci for his "The Last Supper". It measures 40 by 32 cm and is now in the Pinacoteca di Brera.
Head of Christ (Leonardo) | Introduction
One of the most influential artists who ever lived, Giotto changed the course of Western art by painting in a new realistic style. Florence became the center of early Renaissance art. The great Florentine masters of painting included Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Andrea Mantegna, Sandro Botticelli, and Paolo Uccello. The greatest artist of the 15th century was probably Leonardo da Vinci. His portrait "Mona Lisa" and his religious scene "The Last Supper" are among the most famous paintings in history.
Culture of Italy | Visual art
In 1726, the first recorded restoration attempt of "The Last Supper" began. The members of the convent hired Michelangelo Bellotti, a painter, to work on the piece. After filling in the cracked and peeling areas with new tempera paint, Bellotti covered the work with a layer of oil. Due to this, most of the original paint was hidden under his restoration and led to Bellotti being called a “man very deficient in skill and knowledge”.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Michelangelo Bellotti
Art historians hold that the figure is the Apostle John, who only appears feminine due to Leonardo's characteristic fascination with blurring the lines between the sexes, a quality which is found in his other paintings, such as "St. John the Baptist" (painted 1513–1516). Christopher L. Hodapp and Alice Von Kannon comment, "If he [John] looks effeminate and needs a haircut, so does James, the second figure on the left." According to Ross King, an expert on Italian art, Mary Magdalene's appearance at the last supper would not have been controversial and Leonardo would have had no motive to disguise her as one of the other disciples, since she was widely venerated in her role as the "Apostle to the Apostles" and was the patron of the Dominican Order, for whom "The Last Supper" was painted.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Other speculation
The "Last Supper" was also one of the few subjects to be continued in Lutheran altarpieces for a few decades after the Protestant Reformation, sometimes showing portraits of leading Protestant theologians as the apostles. By the Renaissance, the Last Supper was a favorite subject in Italian art, especially in the refectories of monasteries. These depictions typically portrayed the reactions of the disciples to the announcement of the betrayal of Jesus. Most of the Italian depictions use an oblong table, and not a semi-circular one, and sometimes Judas is shown by himself clutching his money bag. With an oblong table, the artist had to decide whether to show the apostles on both sides, so with some seen from behind, or all on one side of the table facing the viewer.
Last Supper in Christian art | Setting
The Last Supper (1493–1496) is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino, located in the refectory, now museum, of the former Convent of Fuligno located on Via Faenza #42 in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. The fresco depicts Jesus and the Apostles during the Last Supper, with Judas sitting separately on the near side of the table, as is common in depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art. It is considered one of Perugino's best works. As in some other cases, Perugino reused the details of the delicate figures here in other works, drawing later complaints from Giorgio Vasari.
Last Supper (Perugino) | Introduction
A "Last Supper" is painted in the refectory of the Osservanti in Strevi. He also painted in the cloister of San Bernardino in Moncalvo. His sons Giovanni Battista and Francesco were also a painter as well as a priest. The former painted a "San Rocco" for a church in Acqui. The latter traveled to Rome to study, but died young.
Giovanni Monevi | Biography
The earliest known written reference to the Last Supper is in Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (), which dates to the middle of the first century, between AD 54–55. The Last Supper was likely a retelling of the events of the last meal of Jesus among the early Christian community, and became a ritual which referred to that meal. The earliest depictions of such meals occur in the frescoes of the Catacomb of Rome, where figures are depicted reclining around semi-circular tables. In spite of near unanimous assent, the historicity of the evidence, one lone scholar comments that "The motif of the Last supper appears neither among the paintings of the catacombs nor the sculptures on sarcophagi ...
Last Supper in Christian art | Setting
Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art:
The Last Supper (disambiguation) | Artwork
"The Last Supper" has been the target of much speculation by writers and historical revisionists alike, usually centered on purported hidden messages or hints found within the painting, especially since the publication of Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code" (2003), in which one of the characters suggests that the person to Jesus' right (left of Jesus from the viewer's perspective) is actually Mary Magdalene. It also states that there was a letter ‘glaring in the center of the painting’ (M) standing for Matrimonio or Mary Magdalene. This speculation originated in earlier books "The Templar Revelation" (1997) by Lynn Picknett and "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh (1982).
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Other speculation
"Last Supper" was under restoration for four years. The work then went on exhibit in October 2019 at the Santa Maria Novella Museum in Florence, across from Alessandro Allori’s painting with the same theme, also painted in the sixteenth century. Nelli’s work represents a daring creative endeavor for a nun-artist of her period, as most were relegated to producing miniatures, textiles, or small sculptures in painted terra cotta or wood. By creating and signing this enormous fresco-like work depicting one of Florence’s most beloved spiritual subjects, Nelli successfully placed herself among the ranks of her male counterparts, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Andrea del Sarto and Domenico Ghirlandaio, an accomplishment lost to history for many centuries.
Plautilla Nelli | Works created, rediscovered, and restored
This classical motif chosen by Canavesio was when Christ announces his coming betrayal and indirectly hints on Judas as the traitor. Both Christ and Judas reach their arms toward the tray in the center while Christ holds a piece of food. The traitor is revealed as well in the illustrations of Matthew (26:23)—Judas dipping his hand in the dish—and John (13:26)—Judas receiving the soup. The interaction of Christ and Judas is signified by Christ extending his right hand and Judas his left. That Peter holding a knife can frequently be interpreted as his combative mood that is often presented in theatrical episode, Canavesio has no intention of showing this motif but is influenced by Savoyard Passion Cycle.
Giovanni Canavesio | The Last Supper
I paint my pictures with all the considerations which are natural to my intelligence, and according as my intelligence understands them. Q. Does it seem suitable to you, in the Last Supper of our Lord, to represent buffoons, drunken Germans, dwarfs, and other such absurdities? A. Certainly not. Q. Then why have you done it? A. I did it on the supposition that those people were outside the room in which the Supper was taking place. Q. Do you not know that in Germany and other countries infested by heresy, it is habitual, by means of pictures full of absurdities, to vilify and turn to ridicule the things of the Holy Catholic Church, in order to teach false doctrine to ignorant people who have no common sense? A.
The Feast in the House of Levi | Interrogation by the Inquisition
Sometimes only Judas is on the side nearest the viewer, allowing the bag to be seen. The placement on both sides was further complicated when halos were obligatory; was the halo to be placed as though in front of the rear-facing apostles faces, or as though fixed to the back of their head, obscuring the view? Duccio, daringly for the time, just omits the halos of the apostles nearest the viewer. As artists became increasingly interested in realism and the depiction of space, a three-sided interior setting became more clearly shown and elaborate, sometimes with a landscape view behind, as in the wall-paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Perugino.
Last Supper in Christian art | Setting
The few frescos in the catacombs representing a meal in which Christ and some of the disciples participate show not the Last supper but refer to the future meal promised by the exalted Christ in his heavenly kingdom", seeing the subject as beginning to be depicted in the 6th century. A clearer case is the mosaic in the Church of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy, where a similar meal scene is part of a cycle depicting the life of Jesus and involves clear representation of him and his disciples. Byzantine artists sometimes used semi-circular tables in their depictions, but more frequently they focused on the Communion of the Apostles, rather than the reclining figures having a meal.
Last Supper in Christian art | Setting
"The Sacrament of the Last Supper" was completed during Dalí's post-World War II period, which is characterized by his increased interest in science, optical illusion and religion. During this time he became a devout Roman Catholic and simultaneously was astonished by the "atomic age". Dalí himself labelled this era in his work "Nuclear Mysticism". He sought to combine traditional Christian iconography with images of disintegration. This is especially apparent in his piece "The Madonna of Port Lligat", which was completed six years earlier. The painting wasn't commissioned. After purchasing the "Crucifixion" and then giving it to the Metropolitan, collector and banker Chester Dale told Dalí he "had to do one more religious picture".
The Sacrament of the Last Supper | Background
The Last Supper of Jesus and the Twelve Apostles has been a popular subject in Christian art, often as part of a cycle showing the "Life of Christ". Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art date back to early Christianity and can be seen in the Catacombs of Rome. The Last Supper was depicted both in the Eastern and Western Churches. By the Renaissance, it was a favorite subject in Italian art. It was also one of the few subjects to be continued in Lutheran altarpieces for a few decades after the Protestant Reformation. There are two major scenes shown in depictions of the Last Supper: the dramatic announcement of the betrayal of Jesus, and the institution of the Eucharist.
Last Supper in Christian art | Introduction
In 1924, the Italian painter Oreste Silvestri led the task of cleaning Leonardo's work, as well as applying new plaster to the edges of the painting.
Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper | Oreste Silvestri
The wall painting depicts cultural, family, farming and factory activities, and man's aggressiveness. The farming activities are represented by a man with a plough and oxen. The family, in a social context, is depicted by a man who gives to a woman, lying on the large hand of mother earth, a wheat seed as a sign of fertility. The figures contained inside a globe represent culture. Finally, a man symbolizes aggressiveness within man. In the centre, showing the relationship of the figures with the city, there is the town's coat of arms.
Villa Fiorita, Brugherio | Description
In 1447 Castagno worked in the refectory of the Benedictine nuns at Sant'Apollonia in Florence, painting, in the lower part, a fresco of the Last Supper, accompanied above by other scenes portraying the Passion of Christ: "Crucifixion", "Entombment", and "Resurrection", which are now damaged. This combination of scenes is not known to have been represented before. He also painted a lunette in the convent's cloister, depicting a "Pietà". Many important Florentine families had daughters in the convent at Sant'Apollonia, so painting there likely brought Andrea to their attention. The "Last Supper" displays Andrea del Castagno's talents at their best. The detail and naturalism of this fresco portray the ways in which he departed from earlier artistic styles.
Andrea del Castagno | "The Last Supper"
Q. What is the picture to which you have been referring? A. It is the picture which represents the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with His disciples in the house of Simon. Q. Where is this picture? A. In the refectory of the monks of San Giovanni e Paolo. Q. Is it painted in fresco or on wood or on canvas? A. It is on canvas. Q. How many feet does it measure in height? A. It may measure seventeen feet. Q. And in breadth? A. About thirty-nine. Q. How many have you represented? And what is each one doing? A.
The Feast in the House of Levi | Interrogation by the Inquisition
The combination of a classic Christian theme with the jarring techniques of surrealism captures the eye, as Dalí was able to do repeatedly with such works as "The Temptation of St. Anthony", "Christ of Saint John of the Cross", "Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus)", "Nuclear Cross", and "The Ecumenical Council", among others. The dimensions of the painting are in the golden ratio, as is the dodecahedron in the background. Dalí is quoted as saying that "the Communion must be symmetrical". There have been many interpretations of this painting, but some critics have dismissed the piece, with the Protestant theologian Paul Tillich even calling it “junk”.
The Sacrament of the Last Supper | Symbolism and interpretations
Redefining of the famous "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci is a distinctive theme of Kalinauskas' art on which he has worked for many years. The first exhibition devoted to the masterpiece was presented in 2006 at the Leonardo da Vinci National Science & Technology Museum in Milan. Other exhibitions of his impression from the da Vinci masterpiece included "INK The Last Supper: Spirit, Flesh, Blood" (Bratislava, Slovakia, 2011). The most complete realization of his vision of a famous painting was presented Lavra gallery in Kiev (Ukraine) in a philosophical large-scale art project "2000 years have passed. Faces faded, but the light remained" (polyptych-installation, reminiscence).
Igor Kalinauskas | The Last Supper: Spirit, Flesh, Blood
During World War II, on the night of 15 August 1943, an allied aerial bombardment hit the church and the convent. Much of the refectory was destroyed, but some walls survived, including the one that holds "The Last Supper", which had been sand-bagged in order to protect it. Some preservation works are done to maintain it for the future. It is believed that the current and future preservation works will keep the painting safe for many centuries to come.
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan | World War II
"The Last Supper" 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. The apostles were identified by their names, using a manuscript found in the 19th century. (Before this, only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus had been positively identified.) From left to right, according to the apostles' heads: In common with other depictions of the Last Supper from this period, Leonardo seats the diners on one side of the table, so that none of them has his back to the viewer.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Subject
In Venice, a court of the Inquisition interrogated Veronese about the thematic and theologic content of "The Feast in the House of Levi" (1573), then called a "Last Supper": “This day, July eighteenth, 1573. Called to the Holy Office before the sacred tribunal, Paolo Galliari Veronese, residing in the parish of Saint Samuel, and being asked as to his name and surname replied as above. Being asked as to his profession: Answer. I paint and make figures. Question. Do you know the reasons why you have been called here? A. No. Q. Can you imagine what those reasons may be? A.
The Feast in the House of Levi | Interrogation by the Inquisition
Restoration on Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" finished in 1999 after two decades of work. Many believe the work done was clumsy, with some features being unrecognizably bright while others went missing altogether.
Paintings conservator | "The Last Supper"
Due to the commission's size, the artists brought with them numerous assistants. Rosselli brought his son-in-law Piero di Cosimo. According to the Renaissance art historian Giorgio Vasari, Rosselli was considered one of the less gifted among the painters at the Sistine Chapel, and his paintings in the chapel were the subject of the other artists' irony. However, his sheer adoption of brilliant colors granted him the appreciation of the pope, who apparently, was not considered an art expert.
Last Supper (Rosselli) | History
[[File:StPierreVieuxC31.JPG|thumb|left|[[The Passion of Christ (Strasbourg)|The Passion of Christ]], circa 1485−1490 ([[Old Saint Peter's Church, Strasbourg]]). [[John the Evangelist|John]] leans across, and [[Judas Iscariot|Judas]] in yellow carries his [[thirty pieces of silver]] in a bag. The dwarfish figure below represents the painting's donator.]] [[Last Supper (Perugino)|Pietro Perugino's depiction]] (c. 1490) in [[Florence]] shows Judas sitting separately, and is considered one of Perugino's best pieces. It is located in the convent that housed noble Florentine girls. Upon its rediscovery was initially attributed to [[Raphael]]. [[The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)|Leonardo da Vinci's depiction]] (late 1490s) which is considered the first work of [[High Renaissance]] art due to its high level of harmony, uses the first theme.
Last Supper in Christian art | Key examples
The Last Supper is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painters Cosimo Rosselli and Biagio d'Antonio, executed in 1481–1482 and located in the Sistine Chapel, Rome.
Last Supper (Rosselli) | Introduction
This painting was to be his largest and most substantial work. Since he had a bad experience with fresco painting ("The Last Supper"; refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan), he wanted to apply oil colours on the wall. He began also to experiment with such a thick undercoat (possibly mingled with wax), that after he applied the colours, the paint began to drip. Trying to dry the painting in a hurry and save whatever he could, he hung large charcoal braziers close to the painting. Only the lower part could be saved in an intact state; the upper part couldn't dry fast enough and the colours intermingled.
The Battle of Anghiari (Leonardo) | History
By 2007, due to the weight of the canvas itself, creases were forming in the painting and it was getting unstuck from its frame. BOV sponsored the restoration. The restoration was carried out by Emanuel Zammit, from Żejtun following his other works in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Gozo.
The Last Supper (Pisani) | Restoration
Where space is limited only Jesus and Peter may be shown, and many scenes show the amazement of [[Apostle Peter|Peter]], following John. A number of scenes appear on 4th century [[sarcophagi]], in one case placed to correspond with a scene of [[Pontius Pilate]] washing his hands. Some types show Jesus standing as he is confronted by Peter; in others he is bending or kneeling to perform the washing. The subject had various theological interpretations which affected the composition, but gradually became less common in the West by the Late Middle Ages, though there are at least two large examples by [[Tintoretto]], one originally paired with a "Last Supper".
Last Supper in Christian art | Washing of feet and farewell
His depiction of human emotion in "The Last Supper", completed 1495–1498, set the benchmark for religious painting. The art of Leonardo's younger contemporary Michelangelo took a very different direction. Michelangelo, in neither his painting nor his sculpture demonstrates any interest in the observation of any natural object except the human body. He perfected his technique in depicting it, while in his early twenties, by the creation of the enormous marble statue of "David" and the group "Pietà", in the St Peter's Basilica, Rome. He then set about an exploration of the expressive possibilities of the human anatomy. His commission by Pope Julius II to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling resulted in the supreme masterpiece of figurative composition, which was to have profound effect on every subsequent generation of European artists.
Renaissance art | High Renaissance in Italy, 1495–1520
The painting is also parodied in Mel Brooks's 1981 movie "History of the World, Part I", making Leonardo a contemporary of Jesus. Many parodies of the painting appear on the small screen, including "That '70s Show"s 1998 first-season episode "Streaking," with Eric flanked by his friends (and Jackie wondering why everyone is sitting on the same side of the table); "The Simpsons" 2005 Season 16 episode "Thank God, It's Doomsday", with Homer as Jesus and Moe and his other patrons as the disciples; and "South Park"s 2009 Season 13 episode "Margaritaville", with Kyle and his friends eating at a pizza parlor.
The Last Supper (Leonardo) | Film and television
The First Supper (1988) is a work of art by Susan Dorothea White, based on Leonardo da Vinci's 1490s painting "The Last Supper". White's painting is acrylic on a large wood panel (1.2 x 2.4 m) and, in a challenge to the patriarchal concept of thirteen men on one side of a table, shows 13 women from all regions of the world; the woman in the position of Leonardo's Christ figure is an Australian aboriginal wearing a T-shirt with the Australian Aboriginal Flag. One woman seen is in the position of Judas. She dines on a Coca-Cola and a hamburger, while all the other women are seen with a bread roll and glass of water.
The First Supper | Introduction
Christian symbols were also painted on the walls to protect from bad spirits.
Bartella | Wedding tradition
The Last Supper (1630–1631) is an oil painting by Peter Paul Rubens. It was commissioned by Catherine Lescuyer as a commemorative piece for her father. Rubens created it as part of an altarpiece in the Church of St. Rombout (Rumbold) in Mechelen. The painting depicts Jesus and the Apostles during the Last Supper, with Judas dressed in blue turning back towards the viewer and away from the table. Other than Jesus, the most prominent figure is Judas. Judas holds his right hand to his mouth with his eyes avoiding direct contact with the other figures in the painting creating a nervous expression.
Last Supper (Rubens) | Introduction
On 27 October 1480 Rosselli, together with other Florentine painters, left for Rome, where he had been called as part of the reconciliation project between Lorenzo de' Medici, the "de facto" ruler of Florence, and Pope Sixtus IV. The Florentines started to work in the Sistine Chapel as early as the Spring of 1481, along with Pietro Perugino, who was already there. The theme of the decoration was a parallel between the stories of Moses and those of Christ, as a sign of continuity between the Old and the New Testament, as well as between the divine law of the Tables and the message of Jesus, who had chosen Peter (the first alleged bishop of Rome) as his successor: This would finally result in a legitimation of the latter's successors, the popes of Rome.
Last Supper (Rosselli) | History