Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper

**min0 lee** · 12-01-2005, 07:59 PM

Ten Common Questions About the Painting

Why did Leonardo paint this?

Because the man who paid his wages requested he do so. Leonardo worked for Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, for nearly eighteen years (1482-99). The Duke decided he wanted this particular religious scene painted and Leonardo, who was not stupid, decided painting it made perfect financial sense.

How big is it?
It's huge, really - 460 x 880 cm (15 x 29 feet). It covers an entire large wall, very unlike reproductions sized to hang neatly behind one's sofa.

Where is it?

The original fresco is on a wall of the refectory (dining hall) in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.

If you'd care to see a reproduction (or 84,000), they're easily found
As an image, The Last Supper has been put on everything from mirrors, to mouse pads, to musical pillows. If Leonardo were still around, he'd be earning billions of (insert your currency here) on licensing fees alone.

How long did it take Leonardo to paint this?

He began working on it in 1495, and finished The Last Supper in 1498. This is worth noting, as Leonardo was a known procrastinator with a marked tendency to leave projects unfinished.

Why is the composition remarkable?
First, because the disciples are all displaying very human, identifiable emotions. The Last Supper, as a subject, had certainly been painted before. Leonardo's version, though, was the first that seemed to depict real people acting like real people.

Secondly, and of major importance - the technical perspective in The Last Supper is incredible! You can see that every single element of the painting directs one's attention straight to the midpoint of the composition, Christ's head. It's arguably the greatest example of one point perspective ever created.

What does The Last Supper depict?

The Last Supper is Leonardo's visual interpretation of an event chronicled in all four of the Gospels (books in the Christian New Testament). The evening before Christ was betrayed by one of his disciples, he gathered them together to eat, tell them he knew what was coming and wash their feet (a gesture symbolizing that all were equal under the eyes of the Lord). As they ate and drank together, Christ gave the disciples explicit instructions on how to eat and drink in the future, in remembrance of him. It was the first celebration of the Eucharist, a ritual still performed.

Specifically, The Last Supper depicts the next few seconds in this story after Christ dropped the bombshell that one disciple would betray him before sunrise, and all twelve have reacted to the news with different degrees of horror, anger and shock.

Who's in it?
Looking across the picture from left to right:

• Bartholomew, James Minor and Andrew form a group of three. All are aghast, Andrew to the point of holding his hands up in a "stop!" gesture.

• Judas, Peter and John form the next group of three. Judas, you will note, has his face in shadow and is clutching a small bag (of silver?). Peter is visibly angry and a feminine-looking John seems about to swoon.

• Christ is the calm in the midst of the storm.

• Thomas, James Major and Philip are next. Thomas is clearly agitated, James Major stunned and Philip seems to be seeking clarification.

• Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon comprise the last group of three figures. It appears that, when a situation turns ugly, Simon is the "go to" guy for explanations.

Why is it falling apart?
Leonardo, always the inventor, tried using new materials for The Last Supper. Instead of using egg tempera on wet plaster (the preferred method of fresco painting, and one which had worked successfully for centuries), he thought he'd give using dry plaster a whirl. His experiment resulted in a more varied palette, which was Leonardo's intent. What he hadn't taken into account (because, who knew?) was that this method wasn't at all durable. The painted plaster began to flake off the wall almost immediately, and people have been attempting to restore it ever since.

Why doesn't Jesus have any feet?

Rest assured, Leonardo intended for Christ to have feet and, in fact, painted them. Around 1650, some unnamed, woefully misguided soul - on a mission to insert another door into the refectory - apparently decided that the only logical spot for said door was smack dab in the middle of that wall. We probably shouldn't grumble overmuch and just consider ourselves lucky that he wasn't engineering windows.

I heard this story about The Last Supper. Is it true?

Do you mean the story in which Leonardo first paints Jesus Christ, after searching many months for the perfect model? And then, years and years later, after painting all eleven other disciples, has an even more grueling search for the perfect model for Judas? And - amazingly - the same person ends up being the model for both! That story?

No, it's not true, and for so many reasons (all of which are detailed in a piece at Snopes). It's a neat bit of fiction, though, complete with a moral.

**min0 lee** · 12-01-2005, 08:04 PM

Q. Is that John or Mary Magdalene in the Last Supper?

The figure of John was completely altered by repaints and deposits of grime.

The same, with cleaning trials.

The same, after restoration.

**min0 lee** · 12-01-2005, 08:07 PM

Detail of the face of John.

**Vieope** · 12-01-2005, 08:07 PM

Recognize this song?

**min0 lee** · 12-01-2005, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by Vieope

Recognize this song?

**gococksDJS** · 12-01-2005, 08:14 PM

Does anyone know why spilling the salt is bad luck? It's hard to tell from these pictures but if you look closely, Judas has spilled the salt.

Supposedly the number 13 being unlucky also originates from this painting. There are 13 people at the table.

**Dale Mabry** · 12-01-2005, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by gococksDJS

Does anyone know why spilling the salt is bad luck?

Yeah, because when Harry spilled the salt, Lloyd told him to throw some salt over his shoulder. When he threw the whole shaker over his shoulder, it hit C-bass in the head and he came to stomp some ass.

**SuperFlex** · 12-01-2005, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Q. Is that John or Mary Magdalene in the Last Supper?

The figure of John was completely altered by repaints and deposits of grime.

The same, with cleaning trials.

The same, after restoration.

Answer. He wasn't there so he wouldn't know shit!

**gococksDJS** · 12-01-2005, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

Yeah, because when Harry spilled the salt, Lloyd told him to throw some salt over his shoulder. When he threw the whole shaker over his shoulder, it hit C-bass in the head and he came to stomp some ass.

So C-Bass is Jesus and Harry is Judas? Who's Lloyd? Is Flo supposed to be Mary Madgeline, whoring her soup du jour all over town.

**min0 lee** · 12-01-2005, 08:44 PM

I think John was really a transvetite.

**min0 lee** · 12-01-2005, 08:51 PM

) The "disembodied" hand is not under the table, but above it.

2) The "disembodied" hand is pointed at the belly of the 3rd man from the left who has his hands up in the "oh no not me" pose.

3) The knife in question is curve bladed like the knife used by the Sicarii sect of assassins, which forms the basis of the 'Iscariot' in Judas' oft used name.

4) Judas' hands are both visible.

5) The "disembodied" hand appears connected to an arm with a brown sleeve that passes in front of 4th man from the left and behind the back of the 5th man from the left (Judas).

6) The arm of the 4th man on the left is clad in blue.

7) The arm of the 4th man on the left is oriented in a near vertical position (170 degrees) with the elbow raised as he leans forward to appear to whisper to the beloved apostle. In such a position it is not possible for the hand to be oriented with the palm facing the viewer with the fingers pointed directly to the left side of the painting. If the hand were on the hip as many claim, you would see the knucles from the front with the thumb oriented downward, not the palm and heel of the thumb. If the hand is on the hip and turned to the rear, the orientation would be similar, however the hand would be highly deformed in appearance and mostly, if not completely, hidden behind the arm. It is possible to reproduce the hand position on the hip, however when doing so the forearm has to be at an angle of greater than 180 degrees or else the wrist is too twisted. If you can reproduce such a pose, send me a photo of it.

7a) Just because there "may" be a "disembodied" hand in the painting does not imply a sinister or devious motive on the part of Leonardo. It could just be a mistake and if not, what valuable esoteric meaning is there in pointing a knife at the belly of an apostle?

8) It is well known that in many early Christian writings, the works of the Gnostic Christians and many other so-called "heretical" groups, that the Beloved Disciple was considered to be Mary Magdalene, not John. I could spend days writing arguments and quoting Biblical, apocryphal and gnostic sources to demonstrate this viewpoint. Accept the viewpoint or not, but it was a viewpoint shared by many. With that in mind, it is quite clear that the disciple on Jesus' right hand (viewers left) is the beloved disciple, Mary. For an easy check, read the Gospel of Mary, which is also called the Gospel of the Beloved Disciple. It was found in a cave in Egypt and is part of the Nag Hammadi Library.

9) The "beloved disciple" is clad in a blue tunic/gown with red robe. This is the traditional garment used in paintings of Mary (mother of Jesus) as well as Mary Magdalene.

10) The second man from the right is a self portrait of Leonardo da Vinci.

11) Because the Bible says there are 12 apostles and none of them are men, does not guarantee that a 16th century painter might not paint one as a woman. This is not the Bible, it is art.

12) Someone claimed that there is a "hidden" face of a man reaching in between the 3rd and 4th person on the right, bringing the number of "men" to 12 so that Mary would not have to be counted as one of the 12. You must have far better eyes and computer monitor than I. There is no such person depicted. There are 12 apostles and Jesus. One of the apostles is depicted as a woman.

13) The shape of the "Mary" figure and Jesus appear to form a large letter M. Some claim that this is also an egg and that it further symbolizes Mary.

.

**The Monkey Man** · 12-01-2005, 09:08 PM

They were all a bunch of BS artists!!

The equivalent of David Copperfields roadies -

**MyK** · 12-01-2005, 09:13 PM

IM gonna read this when im sober!

**BigDyl** · 12-01-2005, 09:15 PM

HE SUCKS AT DRAWING! WHAT A NOOB!

**gococksDJS** · 12-01-2005, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by The Monkey Man

They were all a bunch of BS artists!!

The equivalent of David Copperfields roadies -

Surely you are joking. da Vinci was one of the most intellgent and innovative men to ever live.

**TJ Cline** · 12-01-2005, 11:22 PM

I was there in 1996, Italy is a great trip if you love art and food

**gococksDJS** · 12-01-2005, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I was there in 1996, Italy is a great trip if you love art and food

Why is Italy shaped like a boot?

Because they can't fit that much shit in a shoe.

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