Meaning Behind: The Last Supper

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Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting The Last Supper was first started in 1495 and completed in 1498. The image captures at the Last Supper the moment after Jesus tells his twelve apostles that one of them will betray him. (Da Vinci, 1495-98) Leonardo completed his notorious painting in a lunchroom in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Britannica, “Leonardo da Vinci”) I chose this painting for various reasons. I just completed a course at Lewis University called the Message of Jesus. The last supper, documented in all four of the Gospels in the New Testament, was discussed heavily. I wanted to take what I learned about the last supper and combine it with art. I have the knowledge about the last supper and want to learn about it more from an artistic perspective. I have always found analyzing art as challenging yet rewarding and wanted to gain more experience appreciating art. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper captures how each of the apostles undergoes a unique, passionate emotion that emphasizes the wide range of human feelings during the climax of tension when Jesus reveals that one of them will betray him.
Some people may not agree and instead argue that Leonardo da Vinci’s piece The Last Supper is a simple bible painting that focuses on the apostles eating with Jesus. These individuals may emphasis the dining experience and the gathering of Jesus and his disciples. However, it is impossible to overlook how this piece captures the apostles’ natural, human emotions after hearing about the betrayal. Moreover, “This correspondence between physical movement and mental emotion is perfectly achieved in the scene of the Last Supper” (Heydenreich, 67). The meal itself is not the chief purpose of the painting. Leonardo utilize...

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...uman feelings during the climax of tension when Jesus reveals that one of them will betray him.

Works Cited

Harris, Beth and Steven Zucker. "Leonardo's Last Supper.". N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. .
Heydenreich, Ludwig H. Leonardo: The Last Supper. New York: The Viking Press, 1974. Print.
King, Ross. Leonardo and the Last Supper. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 2012. Print.
"Leonardo da Vinci." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 20 May. 2014. .
The New American Bible. World Bible Publishers, Inc., 1987. Print.
Da Vinci, Leonardo. The Last Supper. 1495-1498. Painting. Santa Maria Delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. Mixed Medium.

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