Da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper is an extra hand. Secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" fresco

Encyclopedic YouTube

Da Vinci was especially interested in expressing the soul through the body, showing the inner nature.

The dimensions of the image are approximately 460x880 cm, it is located in the refectory of the monastery, on the back wall. The theme is traditional for this kind of premises. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered with a fresco by another master; Leonardo also put his hand to it.

The painting was commissioned by Leonardo from his patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice d'Este. The lunettes above the painting, formed by a ceiling with three arches, are painted with the Sforza coat of arms. The painting began in 1495 and was completed in 1498; work proceeded intermittently. The date of the start of work is not exact, since “the archives of the monastery were destroyed, and the negligible part of the documents that we have dates back to 1497, when the painting was almost completed.”

Three early copies of the painting are known to exist, presumably by Leonardo's assistant.

The painting became a milestone in the history of the Renaissance: the correctly reproduced depth of perspective changed the direction of the development of Western painting.

Technique

Leonardo painted The Last Supper on a dry wall, not wet plaster, so the painting is not a fresco in the true sense of the word. The fresco cannot be changed during work, and Leonardo decided to cover stone wall a layer of resin, gabs and mastic, and then write on this layer with tempera.

Figures depicted

The apostles are depicted in groups of three, located around the figure of Christ sitting in the center. Groups of apostles, from left to right:

  • Bartholomew, Jacob Alfeev and Andrey;
  • Judas Iscariot (dressed in green and blue), Peter and John;
  • Thomas, James Zebedee and Philip;
  • Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon.

In the 19th century they were found notebooks Leonardo da Vinci with the names of the apostles; previously only Judas, Peter, John and Christ had been identified with certainty.

Analysis of the picture

The work is believed to depict the moment when Jesus utters the words that one of the apostles will betray him (“ and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”"), and the reaction of each of them.

As in other depictions of the Last Supper of the time, Leonardo places those sitting at the table on one side so that the viewer can see their faces. Most previous works on the subject excluded Judas, placing him alone at the opposite end of the table from where the other eleven apostles and Jesus sat, or depicting all the apostles except Judas with a halo. Judas clutches a small pouch, perhaps representing the silver he received for betraying Jesus, or an allusion to his role among the twelve apostles as treasurer. He was the only one with his elbow on the table. The knife in Peter's hand, pointing away from Christ, perhaps refers the viewer to the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane during the arrest of Christ.

Jesus' gesture can be interpreted in two ways. According to the Bible, Jesus predicts that his betrayer will reach out to eat at the same time as him. Judas reaches for the dish, not noticing that Jesus is also stretching out his right hand to him. At the same time, Jesus points to bread and wine, which symbolize the sinless body and shed blood, respectively.

The figure of Jesus is positioned and illuminated in such a way that the viewer's attention is drawn primarily to him. The head of Jesus is at a vanishing point for all lines of perspective.

The painting contains repeated references to the number three:

  • the apostles sit in groups of three;
  • behind Jesus there are three windows;
  • the contours of the figure of Christ resemble a triangle.

The light illuminating the entire scene does not come from the windows painted behind, but comes from the left, just like real light from the window on the left wall.

In many places in the picture there is a golden ratio; for example, where Jesus and John, who is on his right, put their hands, the canvas is divided in this ratio.

Damage and restoration

Already in 1517, the paint of the painting began to peel off due to moisture. In 1556, biographer Leonardo Vasari described the painting as being badly damaged and so deteriorated that the figures were almost unrecognizable. In 1652, a doorway was made through the painting, later blocked with bricks; it can still be seen in the middle of the base of the painting. Early copies suggest that Jesus' feet were in a position symbolizing his impending crucifixion. In 1668, a curtain was hung over the painting for protection; instead, it blocked the evaporation of moisture from the surface, and when the curtain was pulled back, it scratched the peeling paint.

The first restoration was undertaken in 1726 by Michelangelo Belotti, who filled in the missing areas with oil paint and then varnished the fresco. This restoration did not last long, and another was undertaken in 1770 by Giuseppe Mazza. Mazza cleaned up Belotti's work and then extensively rewrote the mural: he rewrote all but three faces, and then was forced to stop the work due to public outrage. In 1796, French troops used the refectory as an armory; they threw stones at the paintings and climbed ladders to scratch out the apostles’ eyes. The refectory was then used as a prison. In 1821 Stefano Barezzi, known for his ability to remove frescoes from walls with extreme care, was invited to move the painting to a safer place; he seriously damaged the central section before realizing that Leonardo's work was not a fresco. Barezzi attempted to reattach the damaged areas with glue. From 1901 to 1908, Luigi Cavenaghi carried out the first thorough study of the structure of the painting, and then Cavenaghi began clearing it. In 1924, Oreste Silvestri carried out further clearing and stabilized some parts with plaster.

During the Second World War, on August 15, 1943, the refectory was bombed. Sandbags prevented bomb fragments from entering the painting, but vibration could have had a detrimental effect.

In 1951-1954, Mauro Pelliccoli carried out another restoration with clearing and stabilization.

Criticism

Most artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Tintoretto, etc.) depict the apostles sitting on chairs, which does not correspond to Eastern, Palestinian traditions, and only Alexander Ivanov depicted them sitting truthfully - sitting in an Eastern way.

Main restoration

In the 1970s, the painting looked badly damaged. From 1978 to 1999, under the leadership of Pinin Brambilla Barchilon, a large-scale restoration project was carried out, the goal of which was to permanently stabilize the painting and get rid of the damage caused by pollution and improper restorations of the 18th and 19th centuries. Since it was impractical to move the painting to a quieter environment, the refectory itself was converted into such a sealed and climate-controlled environment, which required bricking up the windows. Detailed research was then carried out to determine the original form of the painting using infrared reflectoscopy and studies of core samples, as well as original cartons from the Royal Library of Windsor Castle. Some areas were considered beyond restoration. They were repainted in watercolors in muted colors to show, without distracting the viewer's attention, that they were not an original work.

The restoration took 21 years. On May 28, 1999, the painting was opened for viewing. Visitors must reserve tickets in advance and are limited to 15 minutes in the refectory. When the fresco was unveiled, heated debate arose over the dramatic changes in colors, tones and even the ovals of the faces of several figures. James Beck, a professor of art history at Columbia University and founder of ArtWatch International, had a particularly harsh assessment of the work.

In popular culture

  • The mural is shown in the documentary series “Life after People” - after a quarter of a century, many elements of the mural will be erased over time, and after 60 years without people, 15 percent of the paint from the fresco will remain, and even then they will be overgrown with moss.”
  • In the video for the song “Tits” by the Leningrad group, there is a scene where a parody of the painting is shown.
  • The video for the song "HUMBLE" by Kendrick Lamar also contains a parody of the painting.

“The Last Supper” (Italian: Il Cenacolo or L’Ultima Cena) is a fresco by Leonardo da Vinci depicting the scene of Christ’s last supper with his disciples. Created in 1495-1498 in the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

Da Vinci was especially interested in expressing the soul through the body, showing the inner nature.

The dimensions of the image are approximately 450x870 cm, it is located in the refectory of the monastery, on the back wall. The theme is traditional for this kind of premises. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered with a fresco by another master; Leonardo also put his hand to it.

Leonardo da Vinci. Last Supper, 1495-1498. Ultima price. 460×880 cm. Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
Photo clickable

The painting was commissioned by Leonardo from his patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice d'Este. The lunettes above the fresco, formed by a ceiling with three arches, are painted with the Sforza coat of arms. The painting began in 1495 and was completed in 1498; work proceeded intermittently. The date of the start of work is not certain, since "the archives of the monastery were destroyed, and the negligible part of the documents that we have dates back to 1497, when the painting was almost completed."

Three early copies of the fresco are known to exist, presumably by an assistant of Leonardo.

The painting became a milestone in the history of the Renaissance: the correctly reproduced depth of perspective changed the direction of the development of Western painting.

Technique

Leonardo painted The Last Supper on a dry wall, not on wet plaster, so the painting is not a fresco in the true sense of the word. The fresco cannot be altered during the work, and Leonardo decided to cover the stone wall with a layer of resin, plaster and mastic, and then paint over this layer with tempera. Due to the chosen method, the painting began to deteriorate just a few years after the completion of the work.
Figures depicted

The apostles are depicted in groups of three, located around the figure of Christ sitting in the center. Groups of apostles, from left to right:

Bartholomew, Jacob Alfeev and Andrey;
Judas Iscariot (clothed in green and blue color), Peter and John;
Thomas, James Zebedee and Philip;
Matthew, Judas Thaddeus and Simon.

In the 19th century, notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci with the names of the apostles were found; previously only Judas, Peter, John and Christ had been identified with certainty.

Analysis of the picture

The fresco is believed to depict the moment when Jesus utters the words that one of the apostles will betray him (“and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me,” and the reaction of each of them.

As in other depictions of the Last Supper of the time, Leonardo places those sitting at the table on one side so that the viewer can see their faces. Most previous works on the subject excluded Judas, placing him alone at the opposite end of the table from where the other eleven apostles and Jesus sat, or depicting all the apostles except Judas with a halo. Judas clutches a small pouch, perhaps representing the silver he received for betraying Jesus, or an allusion to his role among the twelve apostles as treasurer. He was the only one with his elbow on the table. The knife in Peter's hand, pointing away from Christ, perhaps refers the viewer to the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane during the arrest of Christ.

Jesus' gesture can be interpreted in two ways. According to the Bible, Jesus predicts that his betrayer will reach out to eat at the same time he does. Judas reaches for the dish, not noticing that Jesus is also stretching out his right hand to him. At the same time, Jesus points to bread and wine, which symbolize the sinless body and shed blood, respectively.

The figure of Jesus is positioned and illuminated in such a way that the viewer's attention is drawn primarily to him. The head of Jesus is at a vanishing point for all lines of perspective.

The painting contains repeated references to the number three:

the apostles sit in groups of three;
behind Jesus there are three windows;
the contours of the figure of Christ resemble a triangle.

The light illuminating the entire scene does not come from the windows painted behind, but comes from the left, like the real light from the window on the left wall.

In many places the picture passes golden ratio, for example, where Jesus and John, who is to his right, put their hands, the canvas is divided in this ratio.

Damage and restoration

Already in 1517, the paint of the painting began to peel off due to moisture. In 1556, biographer Leonardo Vasari described the painting as being badly damaged and so deteriorated that the figures were almost unrecognizable. In 1652, a doorway was made through the painting, later blocked with bricks; it can still be seen in the middle of the base of the painting. Early copies suggest that Jesus' feet were in a position that symbolized his impending crucifixion. In 1668, a curtain was hung over the painting for protection; instead, it blocked the evaporation of moisture from the surface, and when the curtain was pulled back, it scratched the peeling paint.

The first restoration was undertaken in 1726 by Michelangelo Belotti, who filled in the missing places oil paint, and then covered the fresco with varnish. This restoration did not last long, and another was undertaken in 1770 by Giuseppe Mazza. Mazza cleaned up Belotti's work and then extensively rewrote the mural: he rewrote all but three faces, and then was forced to stop the work due to public outrage. In 1796, French troops used the refectory as an armory; they threw stones at the paintings and climbed ladders to scratch out the apostles’ eyes. The refectory was then used as a prison. In 1821 Stefano Barezzi, known for his ability to remove frescoes from walls with extreme care, was invited to move the painting to a safer place; he seriously damaged the central section before realizing that Leonardo's work was not a fresco. Barezzi attempted to reattach the damaged areas with glue. From 1901 to 1908, Luigi Cavenaghi carried out the first thorough study of the structure of the painting, and then Cavenaghi began clearing it. In 1924, Oreste Silvestri carried out further clearing and stabilized some parts with plaster.

During World War II, on August 15, 1943, the refectory was bombed. Sandbags prevented bomb fragments from entering the painting, but vibration could have had a detrimental effect.

In 1951-1954, Mauro Pelliccoli carried out another restoration with clearing and stabilization.

Main restoration

In the 1970s, the fresco looked badly damaged. From 1978 to 1999, under the leadership of Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, a large-scale restoration project was carried out, the goal of which was to permanently stabilize the painting and get rid of the damage caused by dirt, pollution and improper restorations of the 18th and 19th centuries. Since it was impractical to move the painting to a quieter environment, the refectory itself was converted into such a sealed, climate-controlled environment, which required bricking up the windows. Detailed research was then carried out to determine the original form of the painting using infrared reflectoscopy and examination of core samples, as well as original cartons from the Royal Library of Windsor Castle. Some areas were considered beyond restoration. They were re-painted in muted watercolors to show, without distracting the viewer's attention, that they were not an original work.

The restoration took 21 years. On May 28, 1999, the painting was opened for viewing. Visitors must book tickets in advance and can only spend 15 minutes there. When the fresco was unveiled, heated debate arose over the dramatic changes in colors, tones and even the ovals of the faces of several figures. James Beck, a professor of art history at Columbia University and founder of ArtWatch International, had a particularly harsh assessment of the work.

Santa Maria delle Grazie

The fresco is considered a recognized masterpiece of world art Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper" in the refectory of the Milan church of Santa Maria della Grazie. The artist chooses the climax of the Last Supper, when Christ says to the disciples: “One of you will betray Me.” A complex inner world a person, his thoughts and experiences.

Right in the middle of the rectangular table (this is the place that is considered honorable) Leonardo da Vinci places the figure of Christ, highlighting it against the background of the light doorway. He listens to the speeches of the twelve apostles sitting on either side of him. Look at the face of Jesus, which the artist did not dare to paint for so long. Why is it so sad and calm? Maybe because he knows his future fate well? And he is humbly ready to accept it?..

Yes, it is not the majestic divine image that is shown by the figure of the Savior, so familiar to us from many works of art, but the personification of love, mercy and meekness.

What about the students? Each of them responds in their own way to the current event, each has their own response to the words of Christ. Their faces, postures and gestures express almost all human emotions - from confusion to sadness, from surprise to anger, from disbelief to deep shock. Contrary to established tradition, Leonardo places Judas among his faithful and devoted disciples. Presented in a sharp turn, he looks at Christ with fear and convulsively clutches a purse with thirty pieces of silver. His shadowed, rough, ugly profile contrasts with the brightly illuminated beautiful face of John.

Yes, it is impossible to take your eyes off this fresco: it is so significant and beautiful. And it becomes clear why Leonardo da Vinci prepared to create it for about twenty years, why he made so many sketches and sketches for it, why his work progressed so slowly. Material from the site

On this page there is material on the following topics:

  • Evolutionary teachings of Leonardo da Vinci

  • Last Supper report

  • Report of the Last Supper

Questions about this material:

  • What are the features of the artistic embodiment of the plot of the Last Supper in works of art known to you? Compare them with each other.


  • Last Supper. For many historians and art critics, Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" is greatest work world art. In The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown focuses readers' attention on some of the symbolic elements of this painting in those moments when Sophie Neveu, while in Lee Teabing's house, learns that Leonardo could have encrypted a certain great secret. “The Last Supper” is a fresco painted on the wall of the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan. Even in the era of Leonardo himself, it was considered his best and famous work. The fresco was created between 1495 and 1497, but already during the first twenty years of its existence, as is clear from the written evidence of those years, it began to deteriorate. It measures approximately 15 by 29 feet.

    The fresco was painted with a thick layer of egg tempera on dry plaster. Beneath the main layer of paint is a rough compositional sketch, a study in red, in a manner anticipating the usual use of cardboard. This is a kind of preparation tool. It is known that the customer of the painting was the Duke of Milan Lodovico Sforza, at whose court Leonardo gained fame as a great painter, and not the monks of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. The theme of the picture is the moment when Jesus Christ announces to his disciples that one of them will betray him. Pacioli writes about this in the third chapter of his book “The Divine Proportion”. It was this moment - when Christ announces betrayal - that Leonardo da Vinci captured. To achieve accuracy and lifelikeness, he studied the poses and facial expressions of many of his contemporaries, whom he later depicted in the painting. The identities of the apostles have repeatedly been the subject of controversy, however, judging by the inscriptions on a copy of the painting kept in Lugano, these are (from left to right): Bartholomew, James the Younger, Andrew, Judas, Peter, John, Thomas, James the Elder, Philip, Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon Zelotes. Many art historians believe that this composition should be perceived as an iconographic interpretation of the Eucharist - communion, since Jesus Christ points with both hands to the table with wine and bread. Almost all scholars of Leonardo's work agree that the ideal place to view the painting is from a height of approximately 13-15 feet above the floor and at a distance of 26-33 feet from it. There is an opinion - now disputed - that composition and its system of perspective are based on the musical canon of proportion. What gives The Last Supper its unique character is that, unlike other paintings of its kind, it shows the amazing variety and richness of the characters’ emotions caused by Jesus’ words that one of his disciples would betray him. No other painting of the Last Supper can even come close to the unique composition and attention to detail in Leonardo's masterpiece. So what secrets could he encrypt in his creation? great artist? In The Discovery of the Templars, Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett argue that several elements of the structure of the Last Supper indicate symbols encrypted in it. First, they believe that the figure on the right hand of Jesus (to the viewer's left) is not John, but a woman.

    She is wearing a robe, the color of which contrasts with the clothes of Christ, and she is tilted in the opposite direction from Jesus, who is sitting in the center. The space between this female figure and Jesus is shaped like a V, and the figures themselves form an M.

    Secondly, in the picture, in their opinion, next to Peter a certain hand is visible, clutching a knife. Prince and Picknett claim that this hand does not belong to any of the characters in the film.

    Thirdly, sitting directly to the left of Jesus (to the right for the audience), Thomas, addressing Christ, raised his finger.

    And finally, there is a hypothesis that the Apostle Thaddeus sitting with his back to Christ is actually a self-portrait of Leonardo himself.

    Let's look at each point in order. Upon closer examination of the painting, it turns out that the character to the right of Jesus (to the viewer - to the left) actually has feminine or feminine features. Prince and Picknett assure readers that under the folds of clothing one can even see female breast. Of course, Leonardo sometimes liked to give feminine features to male figures and faces. For example, a careful examination of the image of John the Baptist shows that he is endowed with almost the features of a hermaphrodite with pale, hairless skin.
    But what does it matter if in the painting “The Last Supper” Jesus and John (the woman) leaned in opposite directions, forming a space between them in the form of the letter V, and the contours of their bodies forming the letter M? Does this have some symbolic meaning? Prince and Picknett argue that this unusual arrangement of figures, one of which has distinctly feminine features, contains a hint that this is not John, but Mary Magdalene, and the V sign is a symbol of the sacred feminine. The letter M, according to their hypothesis, means the name - Mary/Magdalene. You can agree or disagree with this assumption, but no one will deny its originality and courage. Let's focus on the bodyless hand. Whose hand is visible on the left, next to the figure of Peter? Why is she clutching a dagger or knife so menacingly? Another oddity is that Peter’s left hand seems to be cutting the throat of the neighboring figure with the edge of his palm.

    What did Leonardo mean by this? What does Peter's strange gesture mean? However, upon closer examination, it is clear that the hand with the knife still belongs to Peter, and does not exist on its own. Peter turned it out left hand, and therefore her position is clearly unusual and extremely awkward. As for the second hand, threateningly raised to John/Mary’s throat, there is an explanation for this: Peter simply puts his hand on his/her shoulder. Most likely, disputes on this matter will continue for a very long time. As for Thomas, sitting to the left of Jesus (to the right - for the viewer), he really raised up forefinger left hand in a clearly threatening manner. This gesture of John the Baptist, as Prince and Picknett call it, is present in many paintings by Leonardo, as well as other painters of the era. It supposedly symbolizes the underground stream of knowledge and wisdom. The fact is that John the Baptist actually played a much more important role than the one assigned to him in Scripture. For those who wish to learn more about this, I recommend reading the book "The Discovery of the Templars." The Apostle Thaddeus depicted in the painting seems to bear some resemblance to Leonardo, if we compare his image with famous self-portrait great artist. In many of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings of Jesus or the Holy Family, the same detail is noticeable: at least one of the figures is turned with its back to the main character of the painting. For example, in the painting “Adoration of the Magi.” The recently completed restoration of The Last Supper has made it possible to learn a lot about this amazing picture. In it, and in many other paintings by Leonardo, some secret messages and forgotten symbols are actually hidden. However, their true meaning It is still not entirely clear to us what gives rise to more and more new guesses and assumptions. Be that as it may, much remains to be done in the future to unravel these mysteries. I would like us to be able to comprehend even to the smallest extent the plans of the great master.

    "Save me, God!". Thank you for visiting our website, before you start studying the information, please subscribe to our Orthodox community on Instagram Lord, Save and Preserve † - https://www.instagram.com/spasi.gospodi/. The community has more than 18,000 subscribers.

    There are many of us like-minded people and we are growing quickly, we post prayers, sayings of saints, prayer requests, post them in a timely manner useful information about holidays and Orthodox events... Subscribe, we are waiting for you. Guardian Angel to you!

    It is difficult to meet at least one believer who is not familiar with the Last Supper icon. Believers who regularly go to church have seen it many times above the main entrance. Those who do not visit holy places know this image from the fresco by Leonardo da Vinci. Many Orthodox believers are interested in how the Last Supper icon helps and what its semantic meaning is.

    The meaning of the Last Supper icon

    This icon depicts biblical story, which describes some of the last days Son of God before crucifixion. He called all his disciples for dinner and treated them to bread, as a symbol of His body, which suffers for sins, and also wine, which signifies the blood of Jesus, with which He atones for the fall of all believers. These two attributes soon became the basis for the church sacrament of Communion.

    The Last Supper has hidden symbolism. It acts as a banner of righteous faith and unity of the entire human race. Scientists have found that Jesus performed an ancient Jewish ritual at supper. By this He did not reject the old traditions, but also improved them. Thus, it was shown that you can serve the Lord without breaking away from people, but, on the contrary, completely interacting with them.

    Nobody knows when exactly it happened secret supper, where they learned about the betrayal of Judas. But this is not so important. The main message of this icon is that Orthodox Christians accept the sacrifice of Christ, pass it through their soul and unite with Him.

    What do people pray for in the Last Supper icon?

    If a believer had a desire to add a beautiful icon to his iconostasis, an image with the Last Supper would be suitable for this role. The Last Supper icon does not matter where you hang it in the house. But the most suitable place is considered to be the dining room, where meals are eaten, or the kitchen, where food is prepared.

    Useful articles:

    What does this image help with:

    • gives you the opportunity to talk to God and tell him about your difficulties;
    • sends blessings for cooking;
    • before and after eating, prayer in front of the icon means gratitude for the opportunity to eat food;
    • in the church they pray in front of her for permission to receive the Holy Gifts;
    • Often in front of this icon they ask for forgiveness for the Fall.

    The Last Supper icon is so revered in Orthodoxy that it is placed above the images Holy Mother of God and the Savior. The day of remembrance of such a shrine always falls on the Great or Maundy Thursday before Easter. It is on this day that preparations for the main holiday begin, the sacrifice of Christ, the grief of His death and the joy of His resurrection are remembered.

    It is customary to pray at this image with the following words:

    Thy secret supper this day, O Son of God, receive me as a partaker: I will not tell the secret to Thy enemies, neither will I give Thee a kiss like Judas, but like a thief I will confess Thee: remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom.

    May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries be not for judgment or condemnation for me, Lord, but for the healing of soul and body. Amen.

    May the Lord protect you!

    You may also be interested in watching the video about the Last Supper:



Related publications
© 2024. nevsauto.ru About money. Women's secrets. Horoscope. For the holiday. All rights reserved