Analysis of the Last Supper

Zainab Ahmed

HUMA 1301

Essay#1

Analysis of the Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is a treasure. However, it has been a struggle to keep it undefiled due to repeated renovations. The wear and tear had already started during his lifetime. In addition to that, there was more destruction caused to the painting when a door was carved at the bottom of the painting. Leonardo aimed to achieve an oil painting effect by using an oil/tempera mix on a dry wall.

In the painting, Leonardo’s plot is a refectory (a room used for communal meals, especially in an educational or religious institution), which is very just to the title of the painting and it’s message. The painting shows us a rectangular room with caskets on the ceiling and arras on both sides of the room. The room ends on three big windows, among which the middle one is bigger as compared to the two on the sides. We can witness a landscape view from outside the windows.

The very scene displayed in the painting comes from the Gospel, the night before Christ’s Death and Passion. In the scene, Christ and apostles are in a room for supper, soon after which Christ has made a revelation to everyone in the room that someone will betray him. The person, obviously, being Judas who is leaning back conversing with someone. There is another detail here and that is Judas expressions, which are very wicked and evil.

Leonardo’s Last Supper has a perfect geometric symmetry which is displayed by the room, arras, windows, ceiling, apostles, and Christ, himself. Christ is in the very middle of the painting, making him the main focal point of the painting. The figure of Jesus is a perfect triangle including the apostles. The apostles are shown in the groups of three, on either sides of Christ, forming a triangular structure.