The Last Supper is one the most renowned work of art in the human history. A celebrated Italian painter named Leonardo da Vinci did the painting between the years 1494 and 1499 (Barcilon & Marani, 2001). Many writers have described da Vinci as an intelligent academic painter with an outstanding impression (Kemp, 2011). The painting was specially made as part of a project to refurbish a cathedral by Ludovico Sforza who was the duke of Milan.
During the time of the painting, da Vinci was working for Sforza. Having worked for him for eighteen years, Sforza saw it right for his servant to paint a portrait of a religious scene (Zani, 2001). The original painting of the art is situated in the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church in Milan.
This piece of art is painted onto the rear part of the church’s banquet hall. The painting measures 5 by 29 feet. This art was painted using a tempera style. As such, the style combines the use of egg yolks, vinegar, and oil paints. The combinations of these materials were applied onto dried plaster.
The work depicted the scene of the last supper as illustrated in the Bible. Through the painting, da Vinci was able to show how Jesus’ disciples reacted to his announcement that one of them was going to hand him over to the authorities. Based on the painting, da Vinci illustrates that Jesus’ disciples were shocked by the news.
The painting shows 13 men sitting at the back of a table. The person in the center of the picture is Jesus Christ. Christ is depicted seated with his eyes closed, hands on the table, and with no facial expressions. The 12 men sitting around him are his disciples. Six disciples sit on each side of the table.
In the painting, the 12 individuals have been categorized into four clusters (King, 2012). Each cluster comprises of three individuals. Individuals in each group portray a common visual expression. From the rear left hand side of Jesus are Bartholomew, James, and Andrew.
The three individuals look intently at Jesus with a mystified look on their faces and their eyes broadly open. The subsequent cluster comprises of Judas, Peter, and John. Judas is depicted with a sack of silver in his hand. This represents the bribe he had been offered to betray his master.
Peter is depicted with a knife in his hand. This implies that he was ready to protect his master. On the other hand, John was depicted sobbing. The subsequent group comprises of Thomas, James, and Phillip. The three individuals are depicted looking astonished and seem to be enquiring for a clarification from Jesus. The final group comprises of Matthew, Jude, and Zealot. The three men are depicted facing one another as if they were arguing about the news Jesus had delivered.
References
Barcilon, P., & Marani, P. C. (2001). Leonardo: the Last Supper. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kemp, M. (2011). Leonardo . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
King, R. (2012). Leonardo and the Last Supper. London: Bloomsbury.
Zani, V. (2001). Leonardo: the last supper. New York: Rizzoli.