MASTERPIECES OF ART IN THE CENTURIES / MILAN – Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper

“The Last Supper” is a mural painted on plaster, in tempera, chalk, glue and pitch. In Milan, around 1495, Leonardo da Vinci has embellished a large wall (460 × 880 cm), in the former refectory of a convent, adjacent to the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie. What you see, you are inspired by a Gospel passage of John, the one where Jesus proclaimed the imminence of a betrayal by one of his followers. The representation of the Last Supper is a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, but the state of preservation of the wonder – because of an experimental technique used by Leonardo – could not resist the influences of ambient humidity. http://www.turismo.milano.it/wps/portal/tur/en

Remember to look closely at the prospect of the room, lighted by three windows at the back. Do not forget to observe the left side, with the illumination which corresponded to the presence of a window, at that time really existing in the refectory. Leonardo painted the Christ at the center, and the sad expression on his face seems to give some sad news to all those who sit next to the long table for dinner. Maybe you will notice that the apostles are arranged in four groups of three, maybe you also have the perception that those close to Christ is more aware of his sadness, as though with shades of light and color, you can create the impossible chromatic scale than human emotion. http://legraziemilano.it/il-cenacolo/