The Last supper presentation

By Charles Sybert

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Block G 9/23/13

Who painted the last supper?

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da vinci

• Born 1452 near Florence
• Studied under Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence
• Produced many paintings for the church; many were painted in Milan
• Later traveled between cities (like Mantua, Rome, and Bologna) doing a lot of scientific & scholarly work
• Died 1519 in France

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The last supper

The last supper

• Painted at Santa Maria delle Grazie refectory, in Milan, between 1495-1497
• Launched the High Renaissance
• Differed from previous similar paintings by focusing on psychological content , at moment that Christ revealed someone among him would betray him

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The last supper

• Apostles based off Leo’s contemporaries (people, like his friends, living at the same time)
• Leonardo chose to paint with oil directly on plaster, causing rapid deterioration (even in his lifetime)
• Inadequately restored in 18^th-19^th centuries (also took damage in Napoleonic wars & WWII)
• Restoration project began in 1977, completed in 2000

Analysis of the last supper

• Painted between 1495-1497
• Commissioned by Duke Lodovico Sforza (Leonardo’s patron) in the refectory in Milan
• The medium of work used was oil
• The style is most similar to Fresco, but it is different because Leonardo sealed the stone with resin (pitch and mastic) and chalk (gesso), and then painted over with tempera, instead of using wet plaster

Analysis of the last supper

• Even though this allowed for greater detail, it also resulted in rapid deterioration
• The subject matter is about Jesus Christ announcing that someone sitting at the table will betray him. The 12 apostles react with different degrees of shock
• Christ is the central figure of the painting

Expert analysis

• Expert: Ross King (author of Leonardo and The Last Supper)
• Says Leonardo would’ve rather worked on other projects or inventions at the time
• Says The Last Supper opened up a new era in art
• Thinks in one of the few times in his life, Leonardo managed to harness his energy and obsessions, through this painting
• Says da Vinci used a familiar figure in the painting, but did so in a non-traditional way, and in his own unique vision

Expert analysis

• Says Leonardo paid more attention to facial details than previous artists, reflecting a more dramatic feel, similar to descriptions in the Bible
• Says Leo would go against tradition of focusing on fashion; also studied facial details
• Says da Vinci used light, shade, and spacing to make Jesus and Judas (betrayer) stand out; also highlighted Jesus (making it seem like he had a kind of halo)

Personal analysis

• I think that Leonardo used The Last Supper as a means to get away from the norm, while still maintaining the look of many traditional paintings. By paying more attention to detail, he was able to show this scene in a way never done before, but by keeping the subject matter traditional, did not receive objection from anyone. This allowed him to create the painting in his own unique vision, while still pleasing those who enjoyed Middle Age art.

Spirit of the renaissance

• The Spirit of the Renaissance was a blossoming of the human spirit and a depart from an era which focused on theology, and ignored Greek and Roman heritage. It was a blossoming of new sciences and governments, with nationalism replacing feudalism. National languages were spoken more often, and Latin became obsolete. It was a blossoming of individualism, and artists no longer could only create masterpieces dealing with religion.

spirit of the renaissance

• The Last Supper embraces this spirit in some ways, but also steers clear from it. Leonardo had focused on new aspects of art (like facial features and other details) unlike many previous paintings. However, its subject was still of a religious matter, much like the middle ages.
• This painting is so important because it sparked a revolution in art, and led the Renaissance to its height, thus acting as a transition painting between the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

conclusion

• Leonardo da Vinci was a painter and innovator who would create many great works in his time.
• It is in Milan that he created The Last Supper, creating a transition painting for the Renaissance that was to come (which he helped reach its peak)
• He would create many great works after (such as the Mona Lisa) and would eventually move to France, where he would die.
• He will forever be known as a man who changed the world of art as we know it, and The Last Supper will forever be the work of art that started this change.

Thank you for listening!