Leonardo da Vinci Outline
There are several monumental moments in the Christian Bible that have been depicted in paintings throughout history. A few recognizable paintings include Head of Christ by Warner Sallman and The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese. To many Christians and non-Christians, there is one painting that is easily recognizable upon first sight, and that is Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. Leonardo illustrates the monumental moment where Christ announces to his Apostles that one of them will betray him, three days prior to his crucifixion. It is the primary moment of the Eucharist where Jesus blessed the bread and wine to be shared with his followers. What makes Leonardo’s Last Supper is his choice of materials, composition and portrayal of Judas. In the essay 'Leonardo da Vinci Outline', I will discuss what makes Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper so significant, and how it was almost lost in time.
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most revolutionary figures of the Renaissance Era for many reasons. He is named the “Renaissance Man” for his practice of pushing the boundaries of engineering and art. The Last Supper is an example of Leonardo experimenting which materials could be viable for paintings. In the pursuit of obtaining greater detail, he used a lead-white primer coating on the wall, rather than using more traditional technologies such as fresco. Although his different approach allowed him to paint with great precision, the aftermath was not so viable. Soon after the completion of the piece, it already begun flaking, and by 1517 it half deteriorated. The paint did not properly attach onto the wall and was accommodated by moisture which only expedited the deterioration. In addition to the poor material choice, the Last Supper was nearly obliterated in World War Two when Napoleon’s troops used the refractory where the mural resided as an armory and stable. An Allied bomb launched towards the direction of the wall and missed by a mere meter. The roof of the building was destroyed and the piece remained exposed to the elements until it was rescued. Since its rescue, several restoration attempts have been made. These attempts resulted in damaging the painting further with harsh materials, rather than saving it. It was not until 1977 that the Italian Government hired Pini Brambilla Barcilon to set an effort into recovering the heavily destroyed painting. After several years of meticulously removing centuries of dirt and chemicals from prior restoration attempts, the restored version was revealed in 1999 where it was given a controlled environment where it could be safely stored with the appropriate conditions. While Leonardo da Vinci’s choice of materials resulted in the early deterioration of his work, it shows how revolutionary his mentality was. He refused to follow the traditional methods of painting and sought for greater accuracy and detail. Although the material choice of the Last Supper quickened its depletion, perhaps some of the value that the painting holds can be accounted to the several efforts that were put into keeping it alive. The years spent restoring the piece only add value to the effort that Leonardo set when creating the piece. It is harrowing to think that one of the most notable paintings to ever exist could have easily been left to rot in the fields of war if it were not found. In conclusion, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper was almost lost in the depths of time as a result of the initial material choice, as well as destructive warfare during World War Two.
Leonardo da Vinci’s work is renowned due to the visibly immense amount of effort that is set into his pieces. A novelist observed Leonardo while at work and noted that he would “spend hours examining and criticizing the figures” and would continuously add touches of detail. His tremendous efforts can be seen through the brilliant composition in the Last Supper. In this piece, Leonardo treats the painting as a scene rather than a still image and showcases an awareness in human behavior. The Apostles that are at the outer triad are observing the announcement of Jesus’ betrayal while the Apostles in the inner portion of the painting are discussing their discovery. Leonardo shows a sequence of observations and discussions through the Apostles. The Apostles act in a very human manner. While some Apostles are dealing with their shock and anger through conversing with one another, some could not look towards Christ’s direction and others are visibly protecting their innocence. The different personalities of the Apostles illustrate how men react to observation through the different reactions of the men in the painting. In Joseph Polzer’s “Reflections on Leonardo’s Last Supper”, he notices that the Apostles are connected in form of gestures and faces. He points out how Saint Bartholomew, the leftmost Apostle, leans sharply over the table, his profiled head thrust forward in Christ’s direction. His energetic rightward movement returns in Saint Matthew, the leftmost Apostle in the rightmost triad.” Each character in each separate inner and outer group gestures or faces toward the direction of Christ, who is surrounded by ample space to further separate him from the mayhem of the Apostles’ discussions. Since the Apostles are compacted into a triangular group of three, the shape of the groups themselves guides the viewer’s eyes to converge towards the central point of Christ’s image. That accompanied by the leading lines of the walls and the bright blue window frames behind Jesus pulls the viewers toward his figure. Leonardo was said to use close proximities in narrative writing to add dramatic impact and contrast. His illustration of the Last Supper accurately shows Leonardo’s use of close proximities adds a sense of urgency and claustrophobia to a scene that is already intense. Leonardo’s piece has much more life and is shown through the exaggerated gestures of the Apostles. It almost seems as if each triadic group in the image is its own story that illustrates how each of them is coping with the news that Jesus has bared to them. Leonardo captures the moment of shock moments after Jesus’ announcement, rather than the tranquility before it. Leonardo selected the specific scene of the Last Supper because if gave him the most creative freedom to illustrate dramatic behavior.
Leonardo da Vinci also used the physical gestures of the Apostles to depict the storm of emotions that they felt at the moment of Christ’s announcement. For instance, Bartholemew jumps up from his seat in a state of disbelief while Matthew is shouting at Thaddeus and Simon confirming what they have just heard. Other Apostles such as Thomas and protect their loyalty and are protesting that they are not the betrayers. There is a great contrast in the emotions that the men show. James the Great is shown to be throwing his arms upwards out of anger while John in calmly folding his arms together towards the left side of the painting. The great contrast in the emotions of the men is what makes this painting seem so realistic. It shows that not everyone deals with intense emotions similarly. While some such as those at the outer parts of the image are conversing and contemplating about the announcement, some men spring into action and start defending themselves. The variety of personalities and emotions that each of the twelve apostles holds is what makes Leonardo da Vinci’s illustration of The Last Supper seem as if it were taken from real life.
The final element that makes Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper different from past illustrations of his era was his positioning of Judas. Judas’ role in the Bible is significant because he is the one who betrayed Jesus and the one who allows the Pontious Pilate to obtain custody of Christ. This later leads to Christ’s crucifixion due to the demands of the civilians and because Jesus’ proclamation as the Messiah caused mayhem for the public. Judas is essentially the cause of Christ’s death, which is why he is depicted as the dark force in illustrations of the last supper. Leonardo initially placed Judas across Christ in early sketches like past illustrations at the time, but he later set Judas in the crowd rather than isolating him. In Taddeo Gaddi’s Trecento and Andrea del Castagno’s Last Supper, Judas is a situation across Christ which strongly separates him from the rest of the apostles. In Andrea’s illustration, Judas is seated sharply directly across Jesus and is painted in a harsh black color which accentuated his role of the moral evil that contrasts with the divinity of Christ. John, who was known to be Jesus’ favorite apostle, is situated at the parallel side of Judas on the table, which further contrasts his purity to Judas’ impurity. Cosimo Rosselli’s rendition follows a similar composition as Judas’s dark figure sits across Christ with a devil whispering on his shoulder to emphasize his immoral role. Rather than following past artists and setting attention to Judas, Leonardo set his attention to the Incarnate God. He moved Judas from the isolated position across the table and moved him closer to the immaculate beholder alongside Peter. Leonardo also set a brilliant yet minuscule detail in relation to Judas. He shows Judas leaning on the table in shock to the news that Jesus has announced, with a salt cellar tilted down beside him. The saltcellars on the table were not present in previous renditions of the Last Supper. The spilling of the salt cellar is used to deliver a dramatic effect. According to Emil Moller, an art historian, “Judas’ overturning the salt cellar is an announcement of an evil omen.” Leonardo’s edition of the saltcellar is a symbol of discord which acts as a metaphor for “breaking the piece of the celestial congregation.” It is a foreshadowing of the mayhem that will later lead to Jesus’ crucifixion and Judas’ suicide. Overall, Leonardo da Vinci’s positioning on Judas is distinguishable from other renditions.
In conclusion, Leonardo da Vinci’s illustration of the Last Supper is a brilliant piece due to its push for innovation through the material choice, the composition of the Apostles, and Judas’ positioning. Although Leonardo da Vinci’s material choice is what later led to the painting’s deterioration, his innovative tendency is what made him so great. He sought to create art that was far more detailed than past pieces and invented materials that temporarily made his vision come true. Leonardo’s brilliance is celebrated today because he revolutionized the fields of art and science. Through the Last Supper, Leonardo illustrates how devoting time and meticulous details come together to form one grand narrative. Secondly, his use of composition in this piece separates it from previous paintings of the Last Supper because of the immense amount of emotion that can be felt through the canvas. The facial expressions, gestures, and actions of the Apostles illustrate the complexity of human emotions and the progressive sequence of observation and discussion. Finally, Leonardo da Vinci’s portrayal of Judas also sets him apart from previous artists. Rather than using him as a contrast between moral evil and Jesus Christ’s purity in pieces such as Andrea del Castagno and Taddeo Gaddi’s Last Supper, Leonardo placed him alongside Christ and the other Apostles. Overall, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is a revolutionary piece until the present time and demonstrates how the brilliance of one man can shock many for centuries to come.
