Secrets of the fresco by Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Leonardo da Vinci - the most mysterious and unexplored personality of the past years. Someone ascribes God's gift to him and canonize him as a saint, someone, on the contrary, considers him an atheist who sold his soul to the devil. But the genius of the great Italian is undeniable, because everything that the hand of the great painter and engineer ever touched was instantly filled with hidden meaning. Today we will talk about the famous work "The Last Supper" and the many secrets it hides.

Location and history of creation:

The famous fresco is in the church Santa Maria delle Grazielocated in the eponymous square of Milan. Or rather, on one of the walls of the refectory. According to historians, the artist specially depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were at that time in the church. By this he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer to people than it seems.

The painter received an order to write a work from his patron, the Duke of Milan. Ludovico Sforza in 1495. The ruler was famous for his dissolute life and from a young age was surrounded by young bacchantes. The situation was not changed at all by the presence of a beautiful and modest wife in the duke. Beatrice d'Este, who sincerely loved her husband and, due to her meek disposition, could not contradict his way of life. I must admit that Ludovico Sforza sincerely honored his wife and was in his own way attached to her. But the dissolute duke felt the true power of love only at the moment of the sudden death of his wife. The man's grief was so great that he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when I came out, the first thing I ordered was Leonardo da Vinci fresco, which his late wife once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.

The work was completed in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 cm. Many connoisseurs of the artist's work agreed that the best "The Last Supper" can be seen if you step back 9 meters to the side and rise 3, 5 meters up. Moreover, there is something to see. Already during the life of the author, the fresco was considered his best work. Although, it would be wrong to call the painting a fresco. The fact is that Leonardo da Vinci I wrote the work not on wet plaster, but on dry, in order to be able to edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempra to the wall, which later did a disservice, beginning to deteriorate just 20 years after painting. But more on that later.

The idea of the work:

"The Last Supper" depicts the last Easter dinner of Jesus Christ with the disciples-apostles, held in Jerusalem on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to the scriptures, Jesus said during the meal that one of the apostles would betray him. Leonardo da Vinci tried to portray the reaction of each of the disciples to the prophetic phrase of the Teacher. To do this, he walked around the city, talked with ordinary people, made them laugh, upset, encouraged. And he himself watched the emotions on their faces. The author's goal was to portray the famous dinner from a purely human point of view. That is why he depicted all those present in a row and did not add a halo over his head to anyone (as other artists liked to do).

Interesting Facts:

So we got to the most interesting part of the article: the secrets and features hidden in the work of the great author.

1. According to historians, the most difficult thing is Leonardo da Vinci was given the writing of two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist tried to make them the embodiment of good and evil, so for a long time he could not find suitable models. Once an Italian saw in the church choir a young singer - so spiritualized and pure that there was no doubt: here he is - the prototype of Jesus for him "The Last Supper" … But, despite the fact that the image of the Teacher was painted, Leonardo da Vinci corrected it for a long time, considering it not perfect enough.

The last unwritten character in the picture was Judas. The artist wandered for hours through the most sinister places, looking for a model for painting among the degraded people. And now, almost 3 years later, he was lucky. In a ditch, there was an absolutely downcast type in a state of strong alcoholic intoxication. The artist ordered to bring him to the workshop. The man almost did not stay on his feet and did not understand where he was. However, after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. To the bewilderment of the author, the man replied that three years ago he was completely different, led a correct lifestyle and sang in the church choir. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to write Christ from him. So, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were written off from the same person at different periods of his life. This once again underlines the fact that good and evil go so close that sometimes the line between them is imperceptible.

By the way, during work Leonardo da Vinci distracted by the abbot of the monastery, who constantly rushed the artist and argued that he should paint a picture for days, and not stand in front of it in thought. Once the painter could not stand it and promised the abbot to write off Judas from him if he did not stop interfering in the creative process.

2. The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of the disciple, located on the right hand of Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not the mistress of Jesus, as is commonly believed, but his lawful wife. This fact is confirmed by the letter "M", which is formed by the contours of the bodies of the pair. Allegedly, she means the word "Matrimonio", which in translation means "marriage." Some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature is visible on the painting. Leonardo da Vinci - the letter "V". The first statement is supported by the mention that Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Christ and wiped them with her hair. According to tradition, only a legal wife could do this. Moreover, it is believed that the woman at the time of her husband's execution was pregnant and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, who laid the foundation for the Merovingian dynasty.

3. Some scholars argue that the unusual arrangement of the students in the picture is not accidental. Say, Leonardo da Vinci placed people by … zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn, and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.

4. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the bombing during the Second World War, a shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything, except for the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Although, the people themselves not only did not take care of the work, but also acted with it truly barbaric. In 1500, a flood in the church caused irreparable damage to the painting. But instead of restoring the masterpiece, the monks in 1566 did in the wall with the image "The Last Supper" the door that "cut off" the characters' legs. A little later, the Milanese coat of arms was hung over the head of the Savior. And at the end of the 17th century, a stable was made from the refectory. The already dilapidated fresco was covered with manure, and the French competed with each other: who would hit the head of one of the apostles with a brick. However, there were "The Last Supper" and fans. The French king Francis I was so impressed with the work that he seriously thought about how to transport it to his home.

5. No less interesting are the reflections of historians about the food depicted on the table. For example, near Judas Leonardo da Vinci depicted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered a bad omen), as well as an empty plate. But the biggest subject of controversy is still the fish in the picture. Contemporaries still cannot agree on what is painted on the fresco - herring or eel. Scientists believe this ambiguity is not accidental. The artist specially encrypted the hidden meaning in the painting. The fact is that in Italian "eel" is pronounced like "aringa". We add one more letter, we get a completely different word - "arringa" (instruction). At the same time, the word “herring” is pronounced in northern Italy as “renga”, which means “one who denies religion”. For an atheist artist, the second interpretation is closer.

As you can see, a single picture contains many secrets and understatements, over the disclosure of which more than one generation has been struggling. Many of them will remain unsolved. And contemporaries will only have to speculate and repeat a masterpiece the great Italian in paints, marble, sand, trying to prolong the life of the fresco.