The Last Supper
The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano) | Leonardo da Vinci
The Last Supper is one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous and studied works. Miraculously, it still survives today in Milan, Italy, exactly where Leonardo painted it.
I’ve had the opportunity to visit The Last Supper in person a couple of times. Being in the room where the piece was actually created, is a surreal experience. You can imagine Leonardo on his scaffolding painting the scene before your eyes- making tweaks here or there, studying his work for perfection. I have captured some details on the facts, backstory, subject matter, and techniques used below. Enjoy!
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Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Location: Milan, Italy - Santa Maria Delle Grazie refectory
Commissioned by: Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan
Date: 1495-1498 (during High Renaissance)
Application: Mural - painted on wall using tempura paint and mixed media
Size: 15 feet tall, 29 feet wide
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Commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, Leonardo was tasked to paint The Last Supper on a wall in the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie. Leonardo was an odd candidate for the job as he originally was brought to Milan by Ludovico to sculpt a bronze horse honoring the Duke’s father. That project was halted at the time -the bronze metal originally meant for the statue was being repurposed to produce war materials- so Ludovico requested Leonardo take on the painting in the refectory. To be granted such a large commission would have been a big gift to any artist at the time. However, Leonardo was not so happy with the opportunity. His heart was still set on the bronze horse statue.
Eventually, Leonardo came around to realize the importance of the project he was granted and began work on one of his most famous pieces. Da Vinci was around 43 years old when he painted The Last Supper. In societal terms at the time, he was far along in life to be accomplishing one of his most famous works. Even so, he had even more famous works to come, such as the Mona Lisa, which he painted when he was 51 years old.
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The Santa Maria delle Grazie is located on the western edge of Milan and was built between 1468 and 1482. Ludovico decided to make it his family’s final resting place, and he planned to expand the original setting and decorate it to make it worthy of the family namesake.
Upon arriving into the refectory, The Last Supper greets you on the right hand side of the room, taking up the entirety of wall. On the opposing side of the room is a fresco painting of The Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano (pictured below). Leonardo is believed to have contributed to painting some figures of the duke and his family in The Crucifixion, however they are barely discernible today.
In true Leonardo fashion, he took a very long time to complete The Last Supper. While Montorfano completed The Crucifixion by 1495, Leonardo would take three more years to finally complete his side of the room. There were complaints about Leonardo’s delay and working style- sometimes he would work all day and night, sometimes he would barely pick up a paint brush for days and just examine the wall. His explanation to Ludovico for the lengthy time it was taking was as follows: “men of genius sometimes accomplish most when they work the least.” Can’t say the sentiment was wrong given how highly regarded his Last Supper came to be.
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Even though Leonardo’s version is probably one of, if not the most, iconic illustrations in time, The Last Supper was a common scene to depict before/during the Renaissance time period in Italy given it’s significance in the Catholic religion. The Gospel story centers around the moment when Jesus gathers his apostles for a Passover feast, partaking in the first sacrament of Eucharist, and revealing to them that “one of you has betrayed me” - referencing Judas’ betrayal of Christ. Below are some key differences in Leonardo’s depiction that makes his version so iconic:
An expressive moment in time: Leonardo’s Last Supper depicts the moment when Jesus says to his apostles “one of you has betrayed me.” This is significant to this piece because of the way Leonardo portrays the apostles reaction to Jesus’ proclamation. In other artists’ versions, the group appears static and almost tranquil. In Leonardo’s, we are seeing expressive and emotive reactions from the apostles- shock, confusion, anger, sadness, fear. It is a demonstration of Leonardo’s skill and his ability to portray the human experience through painting in ways other artists couldn’t. Something else unique about Leonardo’s version was that all apostles were on the same side of the table versus spread on both sides. It is believed Leonardo did this so no apostle would have their back to the viewer and you could see the full facial expression and emotion of each apostle.
Vanishing point: Strategically placed at the head of Jesus, the vanishing point in Leonardo’s painting naturally brings the viewer directly to the center of attention, Jesus Christ. A vanishing point is where all parallel lines intersect and converge on the horizontal axis. It helps the viewer visualize something that’s 2-dimensional as 3-dimensional. Leonardo leveraged this as a point to bring in viewers to the main subject while playing off the background of the setting in a Florentine countryside, showcasing his ability to draw landscape and draw the viewer into the setting. Leonardo actually started The Last Supper painting by taking a nail and hammer to the wall to make a dot at the center of Christ’s temple to create this focal point. This hole he placed can still be seen today in person.
Hidden meanings: One of the most commonly known symbolic representations in The Last Supper is the spilled salt next to Judas’ elbow. In placing it next to Judas, Leonardo calls out the villain in the story of The Last Supper- Judas who had just betrayed Christ. This symbolic representation of spilled salt being bad luck has become so widely known that The Last Supper is attributed as the origin of this superstition. Another hidden symbolic representation in The Last Supper has to do with The Holy Trinity. Christ at the center of the painting has his arms extended in a triangular shape which is believed represent The Holy Trinity (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit). Another nod to The Holy Trinity is how the apostles are represented in groups of three in the painting. Speaking of the apostles, one theory I find particularly fascinating about this painting is that the apostle at the righthand side of Jesus, supposed to be John, is actually Mary Magdalene. There are a couple hypotheses that support this theory such as this person is the only apostle wearing a necklace, a hint this is a woman, and the facial features depicted are much softer and feminine compared to the other apostles. There have always been rumors that Mary Magdalene was actually present at The Last Supper. However, these rumors were heresy in the eyes of the Catholic Church as no women were documented to be present by the Gospels. By representing Mary Magdalene in John, it could have been Leonardo’s subtle taunt to the Catholic Church to portray a more interesting rumor.
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For Leonardo, The Last Supper was a bit of a failed experiment in painting method. Leonardo, being the scientist he was, wanted to experiment with a combination of egg tempera and oil paint onto a dry plaster versus the traditional fresco method of applying paint onto wet plaster. With the fresco method, a painter needs to work quickly as tempera has to be added quickly before the plaster dries. Leonardo wanted time to work on all the details in The Last Supper so he went with his method in order to work more slowly. Unfortunately only after a few decades, the paint started to flake away and deteriorate. This method also made The Last Supper more susceptible to changes in temperate, moisture and humidity more than a standard fresco. There have been huge, years long restoration efforts to salvage The Last Supper in addition to policies and special temperature controlled standards to protect The Last Supper from further deterioration. The whole restoration effort is a very controversial topic .. but that story is for a different blog post :)
