Comparison and Contrast Analysis
The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, 1495-1498
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Virgin and Child, Antonio Veneziano c. 1380
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I decided to compare and contrast The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, painted between 1495 and 1498 and Virgin and Child by Antonio Veneziao painted around 1380. The Last Supper is representative of the Renaissance period that had its birthplace in Italy where daVinci lived and worked it housed in a convent, Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Madonna and Child is an example of Gothic period and is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Both pieces were painted in Italy. The Last Supper remains on the wall where it was painted in Milan and Virgin and Child was painted in Italy, the exact location and date are unknown. I decided to compare and contrast these particular works because they come from two periods very close in art history, Gothic art was a direct precursor to the Renaissance. They were both painted in Italy and both depict religious subjects.
Virgin and Child was painted in approximately 1380 by Antonio Veneziano. Not much is known about Veneziano. There is evidence that he was from Venice but travelled to Florence and Pisa. His painting is a very good example of Gothic art. The subject matter, The Virgin and Mary and her baby, Jesus Christ were very popular subjects among Gothic artists. Their popularity continued well into the Renaissance. Catholic subjects were the primary focus of art produced during this period. Gothic art styles demonstrate a movement towards more realistic technique. Up until this time, painting was rudimentary, lacking perspective and scale. Subjects were very simple. Painting became softer in its feel through line and color (The International Gothic Style of Art – Characteristics). Painting was also beginning to grow in popularity as an art form all over Europe at this time. Virgin and Child is a wonderful example of these new techniques. The pose of the mother, the love in her gaze and the enthusiasm of the baby are all evident in the painting. The colors are soft and natural. The blue of the mother’s cape is a color
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long associated with the Virgin Mary. Blue creates a sense of calm. Even the background is delicate in style and does not compete for attention with the show of tenderness.
The historical contexts at this time was a period of upheaval and change. The Catholic Church was still in charge, and influenced monarchs and other leaders throughout Europe. The common man never questioned the need for or the message of the Church. Martin Luther questioned the Roman Catholic Church though. Reforms in the Catholic Church and the development of Protestant churches as monarchs and people split away from The Catholic Church. Trade with Asia opened up the doors to exotic new foods, fabrics and styles of art. Europe was recovering from a 150 year battle with the Black Plague which killed about 30% of the population. The printing press had been invented and novel ideas were beginning to spread. There were advancements in business and accounting, Italy became the center of finance for all of Europe. Italy was the gateway to the East. Anew philosophy of life was emerging, humanism. The quest for answers about ourselves, our souls and our thoughts were changing radically during this late Gothic period. All of these changes caused change in art (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History).
Veneziano’s Virgin and Child is a classic example of late Gothic art style. The mother’s gaze and the joy on the baby’s face are indicative of Humanism principles. The piece also demonstrates movement towards more realistic humans and less stylized models. The mother’s fingers in the infant’s mouth also shows the human quality of love between mother and child. This is not typical of previous Madonna and Christ Child pictures. The Church demanded more formal pictures celebrating the Mother and Christ.
The Gothic period led into the Renaissance that flowed through Europe and changed life, religion, philosophy and art. The Gothic period saw the early catalysts that would become major
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change in the Renaissance period. Leonardo da Vinci, the artists who painted The Last Supper, was the quintessential “Renaissance Man”. He personified the sweeping changes in thought that were the Renaissance. Da Vinci’s appreciation, search for knowledge and experimentation with change is evident in the art he produced. During da Vinci’s career, a new class of art customer was becoming more popular, the new middle class. The Church was no longer the only customer in the marketplace. Private patrons often gave artists of this time more room for exploration and expression in their work, this class grew from the burgeoning merchant and banking class. Cities began to grow as more peasants moved to them to find a better quality of life.
Painting of this period is exemplified by more natural representation of the human form. Artists began to use human models for their artwork. The study of the human body became an important part of both art and science. Scientific minds were questioning the world around them and the makeup of their own bodies. Scientific discoveries in anatomy influenced art at the time very strongly. The philosophy of humanism gave open the door to more secular pursuits in art, literature and science. As society changed, painting changed. Themes were still often religious, with more secular and human details, components and subjects. Color became more important, lines were softened, and perspective became more naturalistic. Composition began to show movement of the subjects. Emotions of the subjects were captured. Materials and techniques were varied and experimented with. The advent of oil paints allowed for richer color and softer shades.
Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is world famous for good reason. It exemplifies the new styles and ideas in art of the period. Da Vinci painter The Last Supper over a three year period. His mediums was quite unusual, a stone wall, coated in pitch, gesso and mastic, and painted with tempura (Williams). Traditional frescoes were painted while the surface was still wet so the
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colors would set. DaVinci chose this method so that he could work and develop it over time, thus three years to complete. The painting depicts Jesus at the center of the painting informing his apostles of the betrayal one of them would perpetrate shortly. One unusual aspect of the picture is that the apostles are all seated on one side of the table, earlier works depicted them around a round table or some with their backs to the viewer. Da Vinci wanted to catch the emotion and reaction of each of the apostles in the work. There is movement of the men: facial expression; agitation; leaning to speak to one another. These characteristics are all very unusual for paintings that preceded the Renaissance. Jesus himself is at the center of the picture, tranquil, peaceful, forming a triangle in the arrangement of the picture. The background is not important but it allows for realistic perspective. Although the piece has been restored, it is difficult to know all of the details that da Vinci intended in his work, especially the colors.
The similarities of the two works are the religious subject manner. Both paintings invite the viewer in to consider the story behind them and letting the viewer come to their own conclusions. Veneziano’s painting, while Gothic, shows human emotion as does The Last Supper. Both incorporate rich colors. The backgrounds of both are not important, they provide physical perspective. They draw the eye to the subject matter.
The paintings are different in many ways. Veneziano’s picture does not capture movement that way da Vinci’s does. Virgin and Child still represent more formal religious works with no controversy as most pieces were during that period. Da Vinci invites us to see the emotional attitudes of the apostles at the Last Supper. DaVinci’s cast all have very different physical attributes (owing to the fact he scoured the streets for models). The Virgin and Christ are typical of how they were portrayed in hundreds of paintings of the Gothic era. The major difference of
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the two is that Virgin and Child is what can be termed a portrait, capturing a mother and her child. The Last Supper is like a novel or movie, time is needed to appreciate each of the apostles and Jesus in action, repose and emotional state.
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References
The International Gothic Style of Art – Characteristics. Retrieved from < http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/international-gothic.htm> 8 Dec 2014.
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/te_index.asp?i=16 8 Dec 2014.
Williams, Jennifer. “The Last Supper by da Vinci: Facts, Location and Quiz. Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-last-supper-by-da-vinci-facts-location-quiz.html#lesson 8 Dec 2014.
