The Last Supper was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. It was painted between 1495-98, during the Italian Renaissance. Da Vinci used an unique medium of oil and tempura on plaster in order to create a fresco look. The painting was commissioned for the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan by the Duke Ludovico Sforza (ItalianRenaissance.org, 2012).
The religious subjects are typical of the renaissance period. Leonardo draws attention to the main figure of Jesus both by centering him among the apostles and by using light to draw attention to Jesus. Color is hard to tell because the painting has deteriorated so much, but it is speculated that the colors were once vibrant. The use of blocks in the background of the painting once again center the painting on Jesus. Also, Jesus is in a triangular form representing the trinity.
The artwork is significant in the medium he used. No one had ever used oil tempura mix and applied to plaster like da Vinci did with this painting. It was innovative in the idea, but did not work in reality as the painting began to deteriorate in da Vinci’s lifetime. Much of the work of the renaissance centered on religious figures, especially the figure of Christ. This piece is very representative of the time period, but also had elements that were innovative and helped to usher in the high renaissance. Da Vinci added in elements of naturalism which had not been seen previously in renaissance paintings.
The Last Supper was da Vinci’s effort to create a fresco like artists like Raphael had previously done. Da Vinci wanted to create a fresco look without taking the time that previous fresco artists had done.
References
ItalianRenaissance.org,. 'Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper – Italianrenaissance.Org'. N.p., 2012. Web. 7 July 2015.
