Leonardo Da Vinci Last Supper Analysis

Comparative Art Research Analysis

One of the most widely sought Christian Art themes during the Renaissance era was that of the Eucharist, or Last Supper, where Jesus Christ is sitting with his twelve disciples before he is crucified. Probably the most widely known painting was that of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Da Vinci paints the story of the Last Supper at the moment when Christ reveals to his disciples that one of them will betray him, capturing the emotions and reaction of each disciple, which had not been done before. The moment focuses solely on this event with no other distraction, entrancing the viewer to each of the disciple’s reaction. 75 years later, another painting of the Last Supper is created, but in a very different perspective. This painting, created by Paolo Veronese has many 16th century figures and images

Many churches had Eucharistic theme paintings completed, but Leonardo Da Vinci’s concept was different and deviated from two common iconographical compositions that were widely used during his time such as the arrangement of the disciples in a circular or square table and the placement of Judas. Leonardo captures the reaction of each of Jesus’ twelve disciples after announcing that one of them will betray him, something which had not been done before either. Leonardo Da Vinci arranged the disciples into four groups of three with Jesus sitting calmly at the center of all the commotion. The painting contains a number of allusions to the number 3 to perhaps symbolize the Holy Trinity. For example, the disciples are seated in groups of three; there are three windows, and the figure of Jesus is given a triangular shape, marked by his head and two outstretched arms. As to the four groups of three, perhaps Leonardo grouped them into four to identify the four gospels of the bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and