“One of a Kind”
An Analysis of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
The Last Supper designed and created by Leonardo da Vinci is an iconic and highly recognizable piece of art. The artwork’s high recognition not only stems from its deep religious roots but also the unique and subtle beauty that the humongous painting contains. Leonardo began the instantly famous painting in the year of 1495, and concluded his work in the year of 1498. During this three-year work period, The Last Supper was being created, polished and perfected. As a result of his time and dedication The Last Supper is ultimately one of the highest recognizable pieces of religious art still today. In fact to this day The Last Supper is studied, critiqued and analyzed by many, as well as continuously loved, admired and cherished. Although other artists had most definitely portrayed this scene before, and many of these portrayals were done exceptionally well, no artist had developed the scene the way Leonardo da Vinci had in his version of the religious last supper. This fact is what makes his depiction of The Last Supper so idyllic compared to the other various portrayals by other artists. Now because the actual existence of “the last supper” is based on different beliefs and is not one hundred percent for certain in everyone’s faith, the true meaning and the viewer’s understanding of the painting ultimately lie within their heart and mind. Due to the fact that The Last Supper is connected with the aspect of religion, people become more attached and drawn to the piece because they have a deep inner connection with the meaning behind the painting. Today replicas of the painting can be found any and everywhere. From posters, to mouse pads, to coffee mugs, the epic painting The Last Supper has become widely acknowledged all around the world. The painting is also admired for its perfected appearance and overall deeply religious rooted meaning.
The Term Paper on Leonardo Da Vinci Notebooks Influence On Western Civilization
Leonardo Da Vinci is a legend who is defined by his works of art, architecture, innovations and inventions. He is considered the ultimate Renaissance man who lived in the fifteenth century. Born in 1452 as an illegitimate son to a notary and a peasant girl, Leonardo held on to art more as a pastime, as opposed to craft. His unsocial characteristics such as notebook recordings and his ‘mirror ...
The Last Supper was created on the wall of the refectory, also known as a dining hall, in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, located in Milan, Italy. One amazing feature of the painting is that it’s rectangular shape takes up a whole wall with dimensions of fifteen by twenty nine feet. Leonardo da Vinci had painted his masterpiece with sincere thought on the paintings placement. With the picture placed at the end of the dining hall, it was meant to be as if Jesus Christ and his apostles were actually joining the people in the refectory for an afternoon lunch or an evening meal. Another feature that brings fame to the painting is the fact that Leonardo had the opportunity to use many different colors. He was able to do so because instead of following the traditional technique of a fresco style, he went with another unusual method of design. Rather then designing The Last Supper on wet plaster, Leonardo painted his creation on a dry wall. Although his use of color benefitted from the action of switching techniques, there was a downfall to his new method as well. Not too shortly after the completion of his masterpiece The Last Supper, the painting began to deteriorate and since then has gone through numerous trials of restoration (“Fresco: The Last Supper …”).
The numerous processes of restoration that The Last Supper has endured bring up many concerns and questions about the painting’s originality. Many people think that over time the restoration began changing different aspects of the painting due to the fact that the restorations were becoming done so often. Some people claim the faces of the apostles have changed over the years, especially the face of Judas. While there are other spectators who claim the color palette has changed over time. The Last Supper’s creator Leonardo da Vinci was born in the year of 1452 in the town of Vinci, Italy. His name is derived from the town in which he was born. Leonardo da Vinci, literally meaning Leonardo from the town of Vinci. Due to this fact, you will find he is mostly referred to as Leonardo rather than da Vinci (“Leonardo da Vinci…”).
The Essay on Leonardo Da Vincis the Last Supper
Leonardo's "Last Supper" is a priceless piece of art with much hidden meaning and obvious talents bestowed upon a wall. Under the study of Verrocchio as a painter and a sculptor, he was able to use his skills in creating a very detailed and a very naturalistic piece of work that would be remembered for hundreds of years. He was also able to create characters with amazing individuality. Not only ...
He is best known for his artistic works of The Last Supper as well as the Mona Lisa. However Leonardo also held many other talents. He was also known for sculpting, architecture, geology, and engineering and just like his artistic creations, he had experienced success in these areas of interest. On the downside of Leonardo’s many talents, he was a known procrastinator. He was known to leave some of his work incomplete and also unfinished. Leonardo died during the month of May, in the year of 1519 due to the fact of natural causes (“Leonardo da Vinci…”).
Leonardo was already a well-known and appreciated artist by the time he had completed The Last Supper in the year of 1498. He got the job through the Duke of Milan, who he worked for, for roughly eighteen years. The Duke of Milan, known as Duke Lodovico Sforza, suggested the project to Leonardo. Leonardo’s motivational aspects not only came from his religious views but also because he knew he would be financially taken care of in terms of compensation (“Fresco: The Last Supper…”).
The Last Supper is indeed not the first of its kind. However the depictions and portrayal done by Leonardo da Vinci made it one of a kind. Unlike other artists who also tried to paint the last supper, Leonardo used real human like people, with real human like features to depict the twelve apostles and Jesus Christ. This was a new concept because up until this time religious figures lacked the sense of human like features. Instead of the usual and some-what predictable paintings of the last supper, Leonardo took the painting one step further, in developing a storyline. The painting was based on the last meal Jesus and his apostles enjoyed before Judas (one of the apostles) had betrayed his lord Jesus Christ. Leonardo derived the storyline from the words of the Gospel Matthew 26, “Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me” (“Leonardo da Vinci…”).
The Essay on The Death Of Jesus Christ
Jesus' life has provided for the religion of Christianity. Jesus was and is a very important part of modern life, and without him, our lives would be totally different today. In this paper, we are trying to dig deeper into the meaning of Jesus' crucifixion and death. The basis of the writings about Jesus' death is solely made up of literature, and no physical structures. In the Bible, the four ...
Leonardo seemed to have created a realistic snap shot of this exact moment in time during the historical religious event in his painting of The Last Supper. Unlike the other versions of the painting, Leonardo depicted the apostle’s faces as Jesus ended his statement. The apostles are shown surprised, frightened, outraged and even sad. Not only were these emotions completely appropriate, but also they were something no one had ever seen before on the faces of the apostles in similar portrayals. The common depictions of the last supper showed the apostles smiling and feeling content while Jesus Christ blessed his last loaf of bread and last carafe of wine. While this new version, developed by Leonardo da Vinci, showed the apostles actually feeling deep emotions after a tragic announcement. Comparing the typical version to Leonardo’s new version, people were surprised in the differences between Leonardo’s painting and all of the others. Some people fell in love with the realistic and relatable emotions, while others thought Leonardo’s version was violent, offensive and unexpected. Leonardo used and absolutely perfected the style of the one point perspective in his painting The Last Supper.
An admirer of the painting is first and far most drawn to the figure of Christ before even examining the rest of the painting. The center of the painting immediately grabs the viewer’s attention, and as if almost forced, the eyes then catch the surrounding chaos created around Jesus Christ’s figure. The deep biblical and religious meaning behind The Last Supper is obvious, however it’s meaning truly depends on the viewer’s outlooks on life and religion. The figure of Christ in the center of the painting effects spectators differently. On one end of the spectrum there are people who don’t believe in a God, believe in faith or simply do not have a religion. This type of person would be considered a non-believer. A non-believer of faith and or Jesus Christ will look at the painting The Last Supper and just see various men sitting down at a long table eating and engaging in conversation. Like many critics of many other paintings some of these spectators may even call The Last Supper stupid or meaningless. On the other side of the spectrum there are people who have strong beliefs in their religion. These are the people who look to the center figure in this painting for hope, control and guidance.
The Essay on Focal Point Work Supper Leonardo
Compare Leonardo's Last Supper with that of Tintoretto. The Last Supper by Leonardo is very different to Tintoretto's representation of the same incident. The last supper is one of the most important occurrences which took place in the Christian religion such an important event that many have seen the need for the event visually recorded through art the two most famous of these representations are ...
When someone like this looks at The Last Supper they see more than what meets the eye. The Last Supper actually brings truth to their beliefs. The painting is almost acting as a confirmation to prove what they believed in all along has been true. Unlike other paintings, The Last Supper is not solely giving meaning and understanding to the people admiring it. To look at the painting The Last Supper, and to truly understand it’s meaning and the context of the painting’s background, is to believe and to have faith. If one does not believe in religion or Jesus Christ, then to them this painting may mean nothing. But for those who do believe, those whose hearts and souls rely on the religious meanings of this painting, to them it may mean everything. To believe in the historic monumental events of Jesus Christ, is to understand the meaning behind Leonardo’s The Last Supper. The truth behind the painting is reflected through the minds of the people viewing the painting.
Leonardo’s unique outlook on the events dealing with Jesus Christ and the details behind the event of the last supper, called for an amazing creation. Hundreds of artists had tried to depict the same biblical scene and failed to create such a masterpiece like the one done by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting’s amazing use of the perspective style in conjunction with a magnificent range of colors came together and the outcome was beautiful. With the flick of his wrist, literally, Leonardo had created a monumental piece of art, which is widely known, widely cherished, and widely admired by people from all over the world. This painting stands for so much more than just one artist and his or her ideas and thoughts. The Last Supper does not appeal to a certain age group, race or sex. It calls out to billions of people all over the world, all who are unique and brings them together causing a spark of similarity. The Last Supper represents all the people in the world who have dreams, hopes, prayers and most of all faith. The painting has the ability to bring people together, acting as a common ground of understanding and equality. The Last Supper is a religious based work of art and for that reason it is easily accepted by many, however the religious aspect of the painting makes it just as easily dismissible.
The Essay on ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is one of the most appreciated masterpieces in the world. This religious mural painting has as a mayor theme to represent the Christian event known as the Institution of the Eucharist. One can appreciate many elements of design in da Vinci’s painting. For example, da Vinci uses mostly geometric shapes to represent the windows behind Jesus, the doors ...
As Leonardo da Vinci once said “There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown and those who do not see” viewers of the painting can analyze and critique The Last Supper based on their personal opinions and outlooks on life. The truth is, if one does believe God, as a result, the truth behind this painting will shine. If someone doesn’t believe but looks to the painting for understanding, they will find what they are looking for, whether it be a deeper connection with religion or a sense of personal faith. If someone simply does not believe at all and with no care or intention to try to have faith, then they will never understand the true meaning and beautiful biblical background behind The Last Supper. Beauty lies within the eyes of the beholder.
Works Cited
Esaak, Shelley. “Leonardo Da Vinci – The Last Supper.” Art History Resources for Students, Enthusiasts, Artists and Educators – Artist Biographies – Art Timelines – Images and Picture Galleries. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://arthistory.about.com/cs/leonardo/a/last_supper.htm>.
“Fresco: The Last Supper | Italy.” Italy | Italy Daily News, Weather, All You Need to Know about Italy. 22 May 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.lifeinitaly.com/art/last-supper.asp>.
“The Last Supper – Leonardo Da Vinci, Mary Magdalene, The Hand and Knife.” Lisa Shea – Origami, Parakeets, Birding. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.lisashea.com/hobbies/art/lastsupper.html>.
“Leonardo Da Vinci: Biography from Answers.com.” Answers.com: Wiki Q&A
The Essay on Last Supper Leonardo Da Vinci
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci The Last Supper was a very powerful Biblical event, in which Jesus and his disciples gathered for one final dinner together. According to the Bible, important events took place during the Last Supper, including an announcement by Jesus that one of his disciples would betray him. Leonardo da Vinci took the challenge of recreating the Last Supper. The Last Supper ...
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