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| High resolution scan by http://www.haltadefinizione.com/ in collaboration with the Italian ministry of culture. |
Today is Maundy Thursday.
Good Friday, we know. And Easter most certainly. But what is
Maundy Thursday? Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, believed to be
the day when Jesus celebrated his final Passover meal with his disciples. Most
notably, that Passover meal was when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in
a display of humility. He then commanded them to do the same for
each other.
Christ's "mandate" is commemorated on Maundy
Thursday---"maundy" being a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which
means "command." It was on the Thursday of Christ's final week before
being crucified and resurrected that He said these words to his disciples:
"A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another" (John 13:34).
The Last Supper is a one of the world's most recognizable
paintings. Painted by the master himself, Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo began
work on The Last Supper in 1495, (three years after Columbus "discovered" the New World), and completed it in 1498. The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of
Jesus with his apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John, 13:21.
A fade, framed print of this painting hung in my Grandmother’s
house when I was growing up. As a child, I understood what it meant in terms of
the biblical references but only as an adult did I realize the history of the
original painting. In my child’s eye this was just another "photograph" on the
wall!
Very little of the original painting remains today despite
numerous restoration attempts, the last being completed in 1999. The Last
Supper measures 180 in × 350 in and covers an end wall of the dining hall at
the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The opposite wall of
the refectory is covered by the Crucifixion fresco by Giovanni Donato da
Montorfano.
One story goes that a Prior from the monastery complained to
Leonardo about the delay, enraging him. He wrote to the head of the monastery,
explaining he had been struggling to find the perfect villainous face for
Judas, and that if he could not find a face corresponding with what he had in
mind, he would use the features of the prior who complained.
A study for The Last Supper from Leonardo's notebooks
showing nine apostles identified by names written above their heads. The Last
Supper specifically portrays the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said
one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to
the news, with various degrees of anger and shock.
From left to right, according to the apostles' heads:
Bartholomew, James, son of Alphaeus, and Andrew form a group
of three; all are surprised.
Judas Iscariot, Peter, and John form another group of three.
Judas is wearing green and blue and is in shadow, looking
rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is
clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to
betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role within the 12 disciples as
treasurer. He is also tipping over the salt cellar. This may be related to the
near-Eastern expression to "betray the salt" meaning to betray one's
Master. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table and his head is
also horizontally the lowest of anyone in the painting.
(My mother drilled into us as children that it was bad
manners to place your elbows on the tables during a meal. I wonder where she learnt that?)
Peter looks angry and is holding a knife pointed away from
Christ, perhaps foreshadowing his violent reaction in Gethsemane during Jesus'
arrest. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.
Jesus is in the exact center of the painting.
Apostle Thomas, James the Greater, and Philip are the next
group of three.
Thomas is clearly upset; the raised index finger foreshadows
his incredulity of the Resurrection.
James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air.
Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation.
Matthew, Jude Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot are the final
group of three.
Both Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon,
perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.
Jesus is
predicting that his betrayer will take the bread at the same time he does to
Saints Thomas and James to his left, who react in horror as Jesus points with
his left hand to a piece of bread before them. Distracted by the conversation
between John and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece of bread not
noticing Jesus too stretching out with his right hand towards it (Matthew 26:
23). The angles and lighting draw attention to Jesus, whose turned right cheek
is located at the vanishing point for all perspective lines; his hands are
located at the golden ratio of half the height of the composition.
The painting contains several references to the number 3,
which represents the Christian belief in the Holy Trinity. The Apostles are
seated in groupings of three; there are three windows behind Jesus; and the
shape of Jesus' figure resembles a triangle. The painting can also be
interpreted using the Fibonacci series: 1 table, 1 central figure, 2 side
walls, 3 windows and figures grouped in threes, 5 groups of figures, 8 panels
on the walls and 8 table legs, and 13 individual figures. There may have been
other references that have since been lost as the painting deteriorated.
The Last Supper has been the inspiration for many great
artists over the years.
In 1955, Salvador Dalí painted The Sacrament of the Last
Supper, with Jesus portrayed as blond and clean shaven, pointing upward to a
spectral torso while the apostles are gathered around the table heads bowed so
that none may be identified. It is reputed to be one of the most popular paintings
in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
In 1986, Andy Warhol was commissioned to produce a series of
paintings based on The Last Supper that were exhibited initially in Milan. This
was his last series of paintings before his death.
Sculptor Marisol Escobar rendered The Last Supper as a
life-sized, three-dimensional, sculptural assemblage using painted and drawn
wood, plywood, brownstone, plaster, and aluminum. This work, Self-Portrait
Looking at The Last Supper, (1982–84) is in New York's Metropolitan Museum of
Art.
In 1988, Susan Dorothea White painted The First Supper
showing 13 women from all regions of the world, with the woman in the position
of Leonardo's Christ figure being an Australian aboriginal.
In 2001, Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi painted Last Supper,
showing 13 mask-wearing people seated at a table strewn with watermelon
fragments. The oil painting was sold for $23.3 million at Sotheby's auction on
October 7, 2013, setting a new record for contemporary Asian artwork.
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| The Last Supper by Giovanni Pietro Rizzoli |
On my computer, in my reference folder where I keep photos that I may
someday paint, I have a rendition of The Last Supper, ca. 1520, by Giovanni
Pietro Rizzoli, called Giampietrino (active 1508–1549). This is an oil painting
on canvas that is a copy of Leonardo’s work and is in the collection of The
Royal Academy of Arts, London. It includes several lost details such as
Christ's feet and the salt cellar spilled by Judas. Giampietrino is thought to
have worked closely with Leonardo when he was in Milan.
Maybe one day I will get the courage to attempt my own rendition
of this. Maybe…
As always, thank you for reading. Until next time when I will again share with you what little I know about the world of Art, please leave a comment and share this post with your friends. And to make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right. I wish you all an Easter filled with love.
"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." Mother Teresa
Mark Phillips
Artist
Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:- www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore
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