Leonardo da Vinci-The Last Supper
- Who the artist is and a brief background of the artist’s life and training (one paragraph)
Leonardo da Vinci was a renowned Italian artist whose works included “Mona Lisa” as well as “The Last Supper”. Born on April 15, 1452, Leonardo wore many hats, which included being a professor, an artist, inventor, engineer, painter, and sculptor (Priwer & Phillips 77). He played a key role in the rebirth of art in Italy having influenced a huge number of artists who later became renowned artists. da Vinci had very diminutive formal education. He received foundational training such as mathematics as well as reading and writing. His talent, however, made him famous among his peers opening opportunities for him. Such opportunities included an apprenticeship with Andrea del Verrocchio, who was a renowned artist in Florence. This opportunity opened him up for more acquisition of skills such as carpentry, sculpting, painting, and metalwork.
- Why do you choose that work?
I choose this work since it is a masterpiece that not only took a long time to come up with it, but also depicts a special moment during the days of Jesus. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece “The Last Supper” reflects an interesting story of the Passover meal that involved the twelve disciples. Jesus spoke of his betrayal during this meal, stating that one of the disciples would betray him. The facial expression on the disciples makes this work of art admirable as well as one that would make one thoughtful. Regardless of the number of times one observes the picture; it still captures the attention of an individual. Besides being admirable, Leonardo da Vinci’s work of art is a masterpiece for perfection. It motivates me to work towards perfection of my artistic techniques and the invention of new personal techniques. Thirdly, da Vinci’s level of creativity goes beyond the normal thoughts of painting. His way of coming up with different faces that are expressing shock on the news of betrayal is intriguing.
- Is the piece indicative of the artist style or a certain period of the artist’s career? Is it different from the artist’s normal style? What style is it made in?
This piece; “The Last Supper” is indicative of the artist style. Leonardo da Vinci is known for including his engineering and mathematics knowledge in his work of art. For instance, his picture has the disciples arranged in groups of three. This, in real sense, symbolizes the trinity; God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He interjects mathematics. Da Vinci’s work of art is not different from the artist’s normal style. He uses the one point linear perspective style, which he equally applies in his works such as the “Mona Lisa”. In the use of this style, the artist makes the vanishing point be at Jesus’ head. This makes Jesus Christ to appear to be the centre of attraction as well as the point of reference. He also appears to be lit giving an impression of sovereignty.
- What is it made of?
Leonardo da Vinci’s work of art “The Last Supper” is made of tempera, which was added to dry plaster. This made it possible for him to work at a very slow pace as compared to other artists who proffered to add tempera on wet plaster. His working procedure gave da Vinci the opportunity to make changes on his work and develop shading on his work of art. He also uses a coating that has the ability to absorb oil paint. This ensures that the painting is protected from moisture.
- Why do you think the artist made it? Who do you think they were making it for?
I think the artist made it first to bring out the idea of the utilization of creativity in art. Da Vinci does not follow the normal procedure in the use of materials. Instead, he uses his own procedures to ensure that he takes enough time on his painting. It is evident also that the artist made this work of art to reflect his engineering and invention abilities. Da Vinci appears to be using mathematics in this work of art. With this, the artist made it clear that mathematics and other subjects can equally be used to come up with an interesting piece of art. I also think the artist made this work of art for the purpose of preservation of information from the Bible (Clayton & Philo 112). On observing this work of art, a Christian easily relates with the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, which was revealed by Jesus during the last supper. It is not easy to forget get this picture out of one’s mind. This makes an individual to preserve in his heart the fact that Jesus had twelve disciples.
I think the artist; Leonardo da Vinci was making this work of art for the future generations. This is due to the fact that he takes a long time of commitment to come up with the piece of work. Additionally, he was making this piece of work for all the Christians in the world reminding them about the last moments of Jesus on earth. Christians easily relate to this piece of work since they are reminded of the betrayal that was done by one of the disciples that Jesus loved with the whole of his heart.
Works Cited
Priwer, Shana & Phillips, Cynthia. Leonardo da Vinci. New York: David & Charles, 2011. Print.
Clayton, Martin & Philo Ronaldo. Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man. London: Getty Publications, 2010. Print.