Unusual in the Last Supper. "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. "The Last Supper", description

05.04.2019

« Last Supper» Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps, is one of the top 3 most mysterious and controversial works of the famous Italian. A fresco that is not essentially a fresco. An experiment lasting three years. A fertile field for speculation about the meaning of the symbols and the true personalities of those depicted. An impossible challenge for restorers. All this is about one of the most famous works art in the world.

Bad luck begins: who ordered Leonardo's "Last Supper"

In 1494, the odious and ambitious Lodovico Sforza became Duke of Milan. Despite all the ambitions and weaknesses, which to one degree or another are inherent, it must be said, in almost every outstanding statesman, Lodovico served a lot for the benefit of his fiefdom and achieved significant diplomatic successes, achieving peaceful relations with Florence, Venice and Rome.

He also paid a lot of attention to the development agriculture, industry, science and culture. Of the painters, he especially favored Leonardo da Vinci. His brush belongs to the portrait of Lodovico’s mistress and mother of his son Cecilia (Cecilia) Gallerani, better known as “The Lady with an Ermine”. Presumably, the painter immortalized the Duke's legal wife Beatrice d'Este, as well as his second favorite and the mother of another illegitimate son, Lucrezia Crivelli.

Lodovico's home church was the chapel at the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and its abbot was a close friend of the duke. The ruler of Milan sponsored a large-scale reconstruction of the church, which he saw as a future mausoleum and monument to the Sforza dynasty. The vanity plans were exacerbated by the sudden death of his wife Beatrice and daughter Bianca in 1497, two years after Leonardo began work on The Last Supper.

In 1495, when the painter received an order to paint one of the walls of the refectory chapel with a nine-meter fresco with a popular gospel story telling about last meeting Christ with the Apostles, where he first revealed the sacrament of the Eucharist to his disciples, no one could even suspect how long and difficult fate waiting for her.

Experimental art of Leonardo da Vinci

Until that moment, da Vinci had not worked with frescoes. But how could this become an obstacle for a person who, of all the methods of cognition, chose the empirical one, and did not take anyone’s word for it, preferring to check everything on its own? own experience? He acted on the principle “we are not looking for easy ways,” and in this case he remained faithful to him to the end.

Instead of using the good old technique of applying tempera to fresh plaster (in fact, which gave the name to the fresco, which comes from the Italian fresco - “fresh”), Leonardo began to experiment. The subject of his experiments consistently became literally all the factors and stages involved in the creation of frescoes, starting from the construction of scaffolding, for which he tried to invent his own mechanisms, and ending with the composition of plaster and paints.

Firstly, the method of working on wet plaster was categorically not suitable for him, which set quite quickly and did not allow him to thoughtfully work on each fragment and endlessly refine it, bringing it to perfection, as Leonardo da Vinci usually painted his paintings. Secondly, traditional egg tempera did not provide the degree of brightness of the colors he needed, since it faded somewhat and changed color when drying. And mixing pigments with oil made it possible to obtain more expressive and brilliant paints. In addition, it was possible to achieve different densities of shades: from very thick and opaque to thin, luminous. This perfectly corresponded to da Vinci’s love for creating filigree light and shadow effects and his signature sfumato technique.

But that's not all. In order to make the oil emulsion more suitable for the requirements of wall painting, the painter decides to add egg yolk to it, thus obtaining a hitherto unprecedented composition of “oil tempera”. As time will tell, in the long term the bold experiment did not justify itself.

It’s time to do: the long history of the creation of “The Last Supper”

According to contemporaries, da Vinci approached all aspects of writing “The Last Supper” with such thoroughness that it dragged on endlessly, and this irritated the abbot of the monastery immensely. Firstly, who would like the state of “chronic repair” in the place of eating with all the ensuing nuances (some sources mention very bad smell original composition of plaster from Leonardo).

Secondly, the long process meant a corresponding increase in financial costs for the painting, especially since a whole team worked on it. Volume only preparatory work the application of plaster, primer and white lead coating involves the involvement of all members of the Leonardo studio.

The abbot's patience gradually came to an end, and he complained to the duke about the slowness and laziness of the artist. According to the legend cited by Vasari in his Lives, da Vinci answered Lodovico in his defense that he could not find a suitable scoundrel to serve as a model for Judas. And that if a person of the required degree of disgusting is never found, he “he can always use the head of this abbot, so annoying and immodest”.

There is another legend about the sitter who posed for the painting of Judas. So beautiful that if the situation is far from reality, it would be worth inventing it. The artist seemed to be looking for his Judas among the very dregs of society, and in the end he chose the last drunkard from the gutter. The “model” could barely stand on her feet and didn’t think much, but when the image of Judas was ready, the drunkard peered at the painting and said that he had already had to pose for her before.

It turned out that three years before these events, when he was a young and chaste singer in a church choir, a certain painter noticed him and offered him the role of a model for the image of Christ. It turns out that the same person, at different periods of his life, happened to be both the embodiment of absolute purity and love, and the prototype of the greatest fall and betrayal. A beautiful parable about the fragile boundaries between good and evil and how hard it is to climb up and easy to roll down.

Escaping beauty: how many Leonardos are left in The Last Supper?

Despite all his efforts and experiments with the composition of the paint, da Vinci still failed to revolutionize the painting of frescoes. It was usually understood that they were made in order to please the eye for many centuries, and the destruction of the paint layer of the Last Supper began during the life of the painter. And already in mid-16th century century Vasari mentioned that “nothing is visible except a tangle of spots”.

Numerous restorations and attempts to save the painting by the legendary Italian only aggravated the losses. British art critic Kenneth Clark in the 30s of the last century examined preparatory sketches and early copies of “The Last Supper” made by artists who took part in its creation. He compared them with what remained of the fresco, and his conclusions were disappointing: “Exaggerated grimacing faces, as if descended from Michelangelo’s Last Judgment,” belonged to the brush of a feeble mannerist of the 16th century.”.

The last and most extensive restoration was completed in 1999. It took about two decades and required an investment of more than 20 billion lire. And no wonder: the restorers had to work more delicately than jewelry: it was necessary to remove all the layers of early restorations, without damaging the crumbs that remained from the original painting. The head of the restoration work recalled that the fresco was treated like this: “as if she were a real invalid”.

Despite the voices of critics that, as a result, the Last Supper has lost the “spirit of the original,” today it is still closer to what the monks of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie saw before them during the meal. The main paradox is that one of the most famous and recognizable works of art in the world contains only no more than 20 percent of the original.

In fact, this is now the embodiment of a collective interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s design, obtained through painstaking research and analysis of all available information. But, as often and densely happens in art world, the difficult fate of the exhibit only adds points and value to it (remember the story of the abduction and discovery of Davinci’s Mona Lisa, which brought her to the absolute top of mass culture).

Secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's fresco "The Last Supper"

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

In one of the quiet corners of Milan, lost in the lace of narrow streets, stands the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie. Next to it, in an inconspicuous refectory building, a masterpiece of masterpieces - the fresco "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci - has been living and amazing people for more than 500 years.

The composition of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by Duke Lodovico Moro, who ruled Milan. From his youth, moving in a circle of cheerful bacchantes, the Duke became so corrupted that even a young innocent creature in the form of a quiet and bright wife was unable to destroy his destructive inclinations. But, although the Duke sometimes spent, as before, whole days in the company of friends, he felt sincere affection for his wife and simply revered Beatrice, seeing in her his guardian angel.

When she died suddenly, Lodovico Moro felt lonely and abandoned. In despair, having broken his sword, he did not even want to look at the children and, moving away from his friends, languished alone for fifteen days. Then, calling on Leonardo da Vinci, who was no less saddened by this death, the Duke rushed into his arms. Under the impression of the sad event, Leonardo conceived his most famous work - “The Last Supper”. Subsequently, the Milanese ruler became a pious man and put an end to all holidays and entertainment, which constantly distracted the great Leonardo from his studies.
Monastery refectory with fresco by Leonardo da Vinci, after restoration
Last Supper

For his fresco on the wall of the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie, da Vinci chose the moment when Christ says to his disciples: “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
These words precede the culmination of feelings, highest point the intensity of human relations, tragedy. But the tragedy is not only of the Savior, it is also the tragedy of Himself High Renaissance, when faith in cloudless harmony began to crumble and life seemed not so serene.

Leonardo's fresco is filled not only with biblical characters, they are also giants of the Renaissance - free and beautiful. But now they are confused...

“One of you will betray me...” - and the icy breath of inevitable fate touched each of the apostles. After these words, a variety of feelings were expressed on their faces: some were amazed, others were outraged, others were saddened. Young Philip, ready for self-sacrifice, bowed to Christ, Jacob threw up his hands in tragic bewilderment, was about to rush at the traitor, Peter grabbed a knife, Judas’s right hand clutched a purse with fatal pieces of silver...

For the first time in painting, the most complex range of feelings found such a deep and subtle reflection.
Everything in this fresco is done with amazing truth and care, even the folds on the tablecloth covering the table look real.

In Leonardo, just like in Giotto, all the figures in the composition are located on the same line - facing the viewer. Christ is depicted without a halo, the apostles without their attributes, which were characteristic of them on old paintings. They express their emotional anxiety through their facial expressions and movements.

“The Last Supper” is one of Leonardo’s great creations, whose fate turned out to be very tragic. Anyone who has seen this fresco in our days experiences a feeling of indescribable grief at the sight of the terrible losses that inexorable time and human barbarity inflicted on the masterpiece. Meanwhile, how much time, how much inspired work and the most ardent love Leonardo da Vinci invested in the creation of his work!

They say that he could often be seen, suddenly abandoning everything he was doing, running in the middle of the day in the most intense heat to St. Mary's Church to draw a single line or correct the outline in the Last Supper. He was so passionate about his work that he wrote incessantly, sat at it from morning to evening, forgetting about food and drink.

It happened, however, that for several days he did not take up his brush at all, but even on such days he remained in the refectory for two or three hours, indulging in thought and examining the figures already painted. All this greatly irritated the prior of the Dominican monastery, to whom (as Vasari writes) “it seemed strange that Leonardo stood immersed in thought and contemplation for a good half of the day. He wanted the artist not to let go of his brushes, just as one does not stop working in the garden. The abbot complained to the duke himself, but he, after listening to Leonardo, said that the artist was right a thousand times over. As Leonardo explained to him, the artist first creates in his mind and imagination, and then captures his inner creativity with a brush.”

Leonardo carefully chose models for the images of the apostles. He went every day to those quarters of Milan where the lower strata of society and even criminal people lived. There he was looking for a model for the face of Judas, whom he considered the greatest scoundrel in the world.

Indeed, at that time Leonardo da Vinci could be found in the most various parts cities. In taverns he sat down at the table with the poor and told them different stories- sometimes funny, sometimes sad and sad, and sometimes scary. And he carefully looked at the faces of the listeners when they laughed or cried. Noticing some interesting expression on their faces, he immediately quickly sketched it.

The artist did not pay attention to the annoying monk, who shouted, raged and complained to the duke. However, when the abbot of the monastery began to bother Leonardo again, he declared that if he did not find anything better for the head of Judas, and “they would rush him, then he would use the head of this so intrusive and immodest abbot as a model.”

The entire composition of “The Last Supper” is permeated with the movement that the words of Christ gave rise to. On the wall, as if overcoming it, the ancient gospel tragedy unfolds before the viewer.

The traitor Judas sits with the other apostles, while the old masters depicted him sitting separately. But Leonardo da Vinci brought out his gloomy isolation much more convincingly, shrouding his features in shadow.

Jesus Christ is the center of the entire composition, of all the whirlpool of passions that rage around him. Leonardo's Christ is an ideal human beauty, nothing betrays a deity in him. His inexpressibly tender face breathes deep sorrow, he is great and touching, but he remains human. In the same way, fear, surprise, horror, vividly depicted by the gestures, movements, and facial expressions of the apostles, do not exceed ordinary human feelings.

This gave the French researcher Charles Clément reason to ask the question: “Having perfectly expressed true feelings, did Leonardo give his creation all the power that such a subject requires?” Da Vinci was by no means a Christian or a religious artist; religious thought does not appear in any of his works. No confirmation of this was found in his notes, where he consistently wrote down all his thoughts, even the most secret ones.

What the amazed spectators saw when, in the winter of 1497, they, following the Duke and his magnificent retinue, filled the simple and austere refectory, was indeed completely unlike previous paintings of this kind. The “paintings” on the narrow wall opposite the entrance seemed as if they weren’t there at all. A small elevation was visible, and above it a ceiling with transverse beams and walls, forming (according to Leonardo’s plan) a picturesque continuation of the real space of the refectory. On this elevation, closed by three windows overlooking mountain landscape, a table was depicted - exactly the same as the other tables in the monastic refectory. This table is covered with the same tablecloth with a simple woven pattern that covers the tables of other monks. There are the same dishes on it as on the other tables.

Christ and the twelve apostles sit on this elevation, closing the monks’ tables with a quadrangle, and, as it were, celebrate their supper with them.

Thus, when the monks sitting at the meat table could be more easily carried away by worldly temptations, they had to show for eternal teaching that a traitor could invisibly creep into everyone’s heart and that the Savior cares for every lost sheep. The monks had to see this lesson on the wall every day so that the great teaching would penetrate deeper into their souls than prayers.

From the center - Jesus Christ - the movement spreads across the figures of the apostles in breadth, until, in its utmost tension, it rests on the edges of the refectory. And then our gaze again rushes to the lonely figure of the Savior. His head is illuminated as if by the natural light of the refectory. Light and shadow, dissolving each other in an elusive movement, gave the face of Christ a special spirituality.

But when creating his “Last Supper,” Leonardo could not draw the face of Jesus Christ. He carefully painted the faces of all the apostles, the landscape outside the refectory window, and the dishes on the table. After much searching, I wrote Jude. But the face of the Savior remained the only one unfinished on this fresco.

It would seem that “The Last Supper” should have been carefully preserved, but in reality everything turned out differently. The great da Vinci himself is partly to blame for this. When creating the fresco, Leonardo used a new (he himself invented) method of priming the wall and new line-up paints This allowed him to work slowly, intermittently, making frequent changes to already written parts of the work. The result at first turned out to be excellent, but after a few years, traces of incipient destruction appeared on the painting: spots of dampness appeared, the paint layer began to peel off in small leaves.

In 1500, three years after the writing of the Last Supper, water flooded the refectory, touching the fresco. Ten years later, a terrible plague struck Milan, and the monastic brethren forgot about the treasure kept in their monastery. Escaping from mortal danger, they (maybe against of one's own will) could not take proper care of the fresco. By 1566 it was already in a very pitiful state. The monks cut a door in the middle of the picture, which was needed to connect the refectory with the kitchen. This door destroyed the legs of Christ and some of the apostles, and then the picture was disfigured by a huge state emblem, which was attached above the very head of Jesus Christ.

Subsequently, Austrian and French soldiers seemed to compete with each other in vandalism to destroy this treasure. At the end of the 18th century, the refectory of the monastery was turned into a stable, the fumes of horse manure covered the frescoes with thick mold, and the soldiers entering the stable amused themselves by throwing bricks at the heads of the apostles.

But even in its dilapidated state, “The Last Supper” makes an indelible impression. The French king Francis I, who captured Milan in the 16th century, was delighted with the Last Supper and wanted to transport it to Paris. He offered big money to anyone who could find a way to transport these frescoes to France. And he left this project only because the engineers gave up in the face of the difficulty of this enterprise.

Based on materials from “One Hundred Great Paintings” by N.A. Ionin, Veche Publishing House, 2002

Each work of Leonardo da Vinci is unique and mysterious. There are many mysteries surrounding the Last Supper. Even the name of the canvas carries sacred meaning. There are many hidden messages and symbols in the work.

Not long ago legendary work was restored. After the restoration of the canvas, it was possible to learn a lot of new things, although the entire meaning of the painting is still not clear. More and more new assumptions about hidden meaning paintings.

It is Leonardo da Vinci who is rightly considered the most mysterious person V fine arts. There are radically different opinions regarding his work. Some people consider Leonardo to be practically a holy man, while others are sure that he sold his soul to the devil. But, no matter what one’s opinion is about the work and personality of Leonadro da Vinci, no one doubts his genius.

The history of the painting

It's hard to believe, but monumental painting“The Last Supper” was made in 1495 by order of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. Despite the fact that the ruler was famous for his dissolute disposition, he had a very modest and pious wife, Beatrice, whom he, it is worth noting, greatly respected and revered.

But, unfortunately, the true power of his love was revealed only when his wife died suddenly. The Duke's grief was so great that he did not leave his own chambers for 15 days, and when he left, the first thing he did was order Leonardo da Vinci to paint a fresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever put an end to his riotous lifestyle.

The artist completed his unique creation in 1498. The dimensions of the painting were 880 by 460 centimeters. The Last Supper can be best seen if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. When creating the painting, Leonardo used egg tempera, which subsequently played a cruel joke on the fresco. The canvas began to collapse just 20 years after its creation.

Famous fresco located on one of the walls of the refectory in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. According to art historians, the artist specifically depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were used at that time in the church. With this simple technique, he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (Good and Evil) are much closer than we think.

1. The identities of the apostles depicted on the canvas have repeatedly become the subject of controversy. Judging by the inscriptions on the reproduction of the canvas kept in Lugano, these are (from left to right) Bartholomew, James the Younger, Andrew, Judas, Peter, John, Thomas, James the Elder, Philip, Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon Zelotes.

2. Many historians believe that the painting depicts the Eucharist (communion), since Jesus Christ points with both hands to the table with wine and bread. True, there is an alternative version. It will be discussed below...

3. Many are still with school course They know the story that Da Vinci found the most difficult images of Jesus and Judas. Initially, the artist planned to make them the embodiment of good and evil and for a long time could not find people who would serve as models for creating his masterpiece.

Once, during a church service, an Italian saw a young man in the choir, so spiritual and pure that there was no doubt: this was the incarnation of Jesus for his “Last Supper.”

The last character whose prototype the artist still could not find was Judas. Da Vinci spent hours wandering the narrow Italian streets in search of a suitable model. And now, 3 years later, the artist found what he was looking for. Lying in the ditch was a drunkard who had long been on the edge of society. The artist ordered the drunkard to be brought to his studio. The man practically could not stand on his feet and had little idea where he had ended up.

After the image of Judas was completed, the drunkard approached the painting and admitted that he had seen it somewhere before. To the author’s bewilderment, the man replied that three years ago he was a completely different person - he sang in a church choir and led a righteous lifestyle. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him.

Thus, according to historians, the same person posed for the images of Jesus and Judas at different periods of his life. This fact serves as a metaphor, showing that good and evil go hand in hand and there is a very thin line between them.

4. The most controversial is the opinion that according to right hand It is not a man who sits from Jesus Christ, but none other than Mary Magdalene. Her location indicates that she was the legal wife of Jesus. The silhouettes of Mary Magdalene and Jesus form the letter M. It supposedly means the word matrimonio, which translates as “marriage.”

5. According to some scientists, the unusual arrangement of the students on the canvas is not accidental. They say that Leonardo da Vinci placed people according to zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a Virgo.

6. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the Second World War, as a result of a shell hitting the church building, almost everything was destroyed except the wall on which the fresco is depicted.

And before that, in 1566, local monks made a door in the wall with the image of the Last Supper, which “cut off” the legs of the characters in the fresco. A little later, the Milanese coat of arms was hung over the Savior’s head. And at the end of the 17th century, the refectory was turned into a stable.

7. No less interesting are the thoughts of people of art about the food depicted on the table. For example, near Judas Leonardo painted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered a bad omen), as well as an empty plate.

8. There is an assumption that the Apostle Thaddeus, sitting with his back to Christ, is actually a self-portrait of da Vinci himself. And, given the artist’s disposition and his atheistic views, this hypothesis is more than likely.

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"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps, is one of the top 3 most mysterious and controversial works of the famous Italian. A fresco that is not essentially a fresco. An experiment lasting three years. A fertile field for speculation about the meaning of the symbols and the true personalities of those depicted. An impossible challenge for restorers. All this is about one of the most famous works of art in the world.

Bad luck begins: who ordered Leonardo's "Last Supper"

He also paid a lot of attention to the development of agriculture, industry, science and culture. Of the painters, he especially favored Leonardo da Vinci. His brush belongs to the portrait of Lodovico’s mistress and mother of his son Cecilia (Cecilia) Gallerani, better known as “The Lady with an Ermine”. Presumably, the painter immortalized the Duke's legal wife Beatrice d'Este, as well as his second favorite and the mother of another illegitimate son, Lucrezia Crivelli.

In 1495, when the painter received an order to paint one of the walls of the refectory chapel with a nine-meter fresco with a popular gospel story telling about the last meeting of Christ with the apostles, where he first revealed the sacrament of the Eucharist to his disciples, no one could even suspect what a long and difficult fate it would have. waiting.

Experimental art of Leonardo da Vinci

Until that moment, da Vinci had not worked with frescoes. But how could this become an obstacle for a person who, of all methods of knowledge, chose the empirical one, and did not take anyone’s word for it, preferring to test everything from his own experience? He acted on the principle “we are not looking for easy ways,” and in this case he remained faithful to him to the end.

It’s time to do: the long history of the creation of “The Last Supper”

According to contemporaries, da Vinci approached all aspects of writing “The Last Supper” with such thoroughness that it dragged on endlessly, and this irritated the abbot of the monastery immensely. Firstly, who will like the state of “chronic repair” in the place where they eat with all the nuances that follow (some sources mention the very unpleasant smell of the original composition of Leonardo’s plaster).

Secondly, the long process meant a corresponding increase in financial costs for the painting, especially since a whole team worked on it. The scope of the preparatory work alone for the application of plaster, primer and white lead coating requires the involvement of all members of the Leonardo studio.

Escaping beauty: how many Leonardos are left in The Last Supper?

Despite all his efforts and experiments with the composition of the paint, da Vinci still failed to revolutionize the painting of frescoes. It was usually understood that they were made in order to please the eye for many centuries, and the destruction of the paint layer of the Last Supper began during the life of the painter. And already in the middle of the 16th century Vasari mentioned that “nothing is visible except a tangle of spots”.

In fact, this is now the embodiment of a collective interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s design, obtained through painstaking research and analysis of all available information. But, as often happens in the art world, the difficult fate of an exhibit only adds points and value to it (remember the story of the abduction and discovery of Davinci’s Mona Lisa, which brought her to the absolute top of mass culture).

Number 3

The painting contains repeated references to the number three:

The apostles sit in groups of three;
behind Jesus there are three windows;
the contours of the figure of Christ resemble a triangle.

Figure

The figure of Jesus is positioned and illuminated in such a way that the viewer's attention is drawn primarily to him. The head of Jesus is at a vanishing point for all lines of perspective.

Gesture

Jesus' gesture can be interpreted in two ways. According to the Bible, Jesus predicts that his betrayer will reach out to eat at the same time he does. Judas reaches for the dish, not noticing that Jesus is also stretching out his right hand to him. At the same time, Jesus points to bread and wine, symbolizing the sinless body and shed blood respectively.

Analysis

The work is believed to depict the moment when Jesus utters the words that one of the apostles will betray him (“and as they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me”), and the reaction of each of them.

As in other depictions of the Last Supper of the time, Leonardo places those sitting at the table on one side so that the viewer can see their faces. Majority previous works on this topic they excluded Judas, placing him alone at the part of the table opposite to the one at which the other eleven apostles and Jesus were sitting, or depicting all the apostles except Judas with a halo. Judas clutches a small pouch, perhaps representing the silver he received for betraying Jesus, or an allusion to his role among the twelve apostles as treasurer. He was the only one with his elbow on the table. The knife in Peter's hand, pointing away from Christ, perhaps refers the viewer to the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane during the arrest of Christ.

The light illuminating the entire scene does not come from the windows painted behind, but comes from the left, just like real light from the window on the left wall.

In many places the picture passes golden ratio; for example, where Jesus and John, who is on his right, put their hands, the canvas is divided in this ratio.

Simon the Canaanite

Information in the Gospels about Simon the Canaanite is extremely scarce. He is mentioned in the lists of the apostles in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 10:4), Mark (Mark 3:18), Luke (Luke 6:15), as well as in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13). He is called Simon the Zealot or Simon the Zealot to distinguish him from Simon Peter. No other information about the apostle New Testament does not lead. The nickname Zealot is sometimes interpreted as a commitment to Jewish nationalism (Zealots).

Simon the Canaanite is identified with the half-brother (from Joseph and Salome) of Jesus Christ, who celebrated the wedding in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine. He is identified with Simeon, an apostle of the 70, who became the second bishop of Jerusalem after the execution of James the Righteous.

Apostle Thaddeus

Brother of Jacob Alpheus, son of Alpheus or Cleopas.

Mentioned in the lists of the apostles in the Gospels of Luke (Luke 6:16) and John (John 14:22); and also in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13). In the Gospel of John, Judas asks Jesus at the Last Supper about his upcoming resurrection. Moreover, he is called “Judas, not Iscariot” to distinguish him from Judas, the traitor. According to legend, the Apostle Jude preached in Palestine, Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia, and died a martyr’s death in Armenia in the second half of the 1st century AD. e. The alleged grave is located on the territory of the Armenian monastery of St. Thaddeus in northwestern Iran. Part of the relics of the holy apostle resides in the Vatican in St. Peter's Basilica.

Levi Matthew

The only reliable fact reported by the Gospels is that Matthew Levi was a tax collector, that is, a tax collector. In the text of the Gospel of Matthew, the apostle is called “Matthew the Publican,” which perhaps indicates the author’s humility, since publicans were deeply despised by the Jews.

Apostle Philip

Mentioned in the lists of apostles in the Gospel of Matthew (10:3), Mark (3:18), Luke (6:14), as well as in the Acts of the Apostles (1:13).

The Gospel of John reports that Philip was from Bethsaida, from the same city as Andrew and Peter, and was called third after them. Philip brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus (John 1:43-46). On the pages of the Gospel of John, Philip appears three more times: he talks with Jesus about bread for the multitude (John 6:5-7); brings Greeks (Hellenized Jews) to Jesus (John 12:20-22); asks Jesus to show the Father at the Last Supper (John 14:8-9).

Mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, Philip the Deacon or Philip the Evangelist is another person, the namesake of the Apostle Philip.

Eusebius of Caesarea cites a report from Clement of Alexandria that Philip was married and had daughters, with whom Papias was also acquainted. Philip preached the Gospel in Scythia and Phrygia. For his preaching activities he was executed (crucified head down) in the year 80 (during the reign of the Roman Emperor Titus in the city of Hierapolis Phrygian, in Asia Minor.

Jacob Zebedee

An apostle of Jesus Christ mentioned in the New Testament. Son of Zebedee, born in Palestine, was killed in 44 in Jerusalem. Elder brother of John the Evangelist.

Apostle Thomas

Thomas was chosen by Christ as one of the twelve apostles, as the evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us. However, they only mention the name of Thomas among the names of the other apostles.

On the contrary, John the Theologian informs us of Thomas's participation in several events gospel history, including the assurance of Thomas. According to the Gospel of John, Thomas was absent during the first appearance of Jesus Christ to the other apostles after the Resurrection from the dead and, having learned from them that Jesus had risen from the dead and came to them, he said: “If I do not see the marks of the nails in His hands, I will not put I will not put my finger into the wound of the nails, and I will not put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Appearing to the apostles again, Jesus invited Thomas to put his finger into the wounds, after which Thomas believed and said: “My Lord and my God!”

The Gospel narrative leaves it unclear whether Thomas actually put his finger into Christ’s wounds or not. According to some theologians, Thomas refused to do this, while others believe that Thomas touched the wounds of Christ.

The expression “Doubting Thomas” (or “infidel”) has become a common noun and denotes an incredulous listener. The plot of Thomas's assurance has become a popular subject in gospel iconography.

Based on the story of the appearance of Jesus Christ to the apostles on the Sea of Galilee, it can be assumed that the Apostle Thomas was originally a fisherman.

John the Theologian

One of the Twelve Apostles, son of Zebedee, also called the Theologian, evangelist, brother of the Apostle James. In the Gospel of Mark, together with his brother, Jesus is nicknamed “Son of Thunder” (Boanerges).

The Church Fathers considered him to be the same person as John the Evangelist, the "Beloved Disciple", although modern theologians and biblical scholars have no consensus regarding the identity of these people.

According to the tradition of most Christian denominations, the Apostle John is the author of the Gospel, the Book of Revelation and three messages included in the New Testament.

Apostle Peter

Born in Bethsaida in the family of a simple fisherman Jonah. The original name of the apostle was Simon (Hebrew: Shimon). The name Peter (Petrus, from the Greek πέτρος - stone) arose from the nickname Cephas (Aramic - stone), which Jesus gave him. He was married and worked as a fisherman with his brother Andrey. When Jesus met Peter and Andrew, he said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Having become a disciple of Jesus Christ, he accompanied him in all the paths of his earthly life. Peter was one of Jesus' favorite disciples. When Jesus asked his disciples what they thought about Him, Peter said that He was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

By nature, Peter was very lively and hot-tempered: it was he who wanted to walk on water to approach Jesus, and it was he who cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in the Garden of Gethsemane. On the night after Jesus was arrested, Peter, as Jesus predicted, showed weakness and, fearing persecution, denied Him three times before the rooster crowed (see also the servant of the doorkeeper). But later Peter sincerely repented and was forgiven by the Lord.

Together with James and John, he was present on Mount Tabor when the transfiguration of Jesus took place.

Judas Iscariot

Among the apostles, Judas was in charge of their money, and then betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver.

After Jesus Christ was sentenced to crucifixion, Judas repented and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the high priests and elders, saying: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said to him: “What is that to us?” And, throwing the pieces of silver in the Temple, Judas went and hanged himself.

After the betrayal and suicide of Judas Iscariot, Jesus' disciples decided to choose a new apostle to replace Judas. They chose two candidates: “Joseph, called Barsaba, who was called Justus, and Matthias,” and after praying to God to indicate whom to make an apostle, they cast lots. The lot fell to Matthias, and he was numbered among the Apostles.

The name Judas became a common noun to denote betrayal.

Andrew the First-Called

In the life of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, it is mentioned that Andrew and his brother Simon (the future St. Peter) were Galilean fishermen, born and raised in Bethsaida (a city on the shore of Lake Gennesaret); their father's name was Jonah. Having matured, the brothers moved to Capernaum, where they acquired their own home and continued to fish.

Even in his youth, Andrei decided to devote himself to serving God. Maintaining chastity, he refused to marry. Hearing that on the Jordan River John the Baptist was preaching about the coming of the Messiah and calling for repentance, Andrei left everything and went to him. Soon the young man became the closest disciple of John the Baptist.

The evangelists Matthew and John describe Andrew's meeting with Jesus differently.

Saint Andrew is called the First-Called because he was called the first of the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jacob Alfeev

An apostle of Jesus Christ mentioned in the New Testament. Brother of the Apostle Judas Jacob, possibly brother of the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew. In the three Gospels his name is given in the list of twelve, but no other information is given about him.

According to his life, Jacob was a publican, preached in Judea, and then, together with the Apostle Andrew, went to Edessa. Afterwards he independently preached in Gaza and Eleutheropolis (Southern Palestine).

Apostle Bartholomew

According to legend, Bartholomew, together with Philip, preached in the cities of Asia Minor, especially in connection with the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, the city of Hierapolis is mentioned. Tradition also reports about his trip to India and preaching in Armenia, where on Artashat Hill he met with the Apostle Judas Thaddeus ( armenian church honors them as its founders). Eusebius of Caesarea reports that in India Bartholomew left the Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew to the community he founded, which was found by the philosopher Panten, a teacher of the Alexandrian school

About the picture

The dimensions of the image are approximately 460x880 cm, it is located in the refectory of the monastery, on the back wall. The theme is traditional for this type of premises. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered with a fresco by another master; Leonardo also put his hand to it.

The painting was commissioned by Leonardo from his patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice d'Este. The lunettes above the painting, formed by a ceiling with three arches, are painted with the Sforza coat of arms. The painting began in 1495 and was completed in 1498; work proceeded intermittently. The date of the start of work is not certain, since "the archives of the monastery were destroyed, and the negligible part of the documents that we have dates back to 1497, when the painting was almost completed."

Three early copies of the painting are known to exist, presumably by Leonardo's assistant.

The painting became a milestone in the history of the Renaissance: the correctly reproduced depth of perspective changed the direction of the development of Western painting.