Leonardo's most famous work is the famous “Last Supper” in the Milan monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. This painting, which in its present form represents a ruin, was completed between 1495 and 1497. The reason for the rapid deterioration, which made itself felt already in 1517, was a unique technique that combined oil with tempera.
One of the most famous works Leonardo da Vinci located in the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan - this "The Last Supper". The fresco, which today is a pitiful sight, was painted at the end of the 15th century. The image deteriorated very quickly, after twenty years the masterpiece was already in need of restoration - the reason for this was special equipment, which combined tempera with oil.
The painting of the fresco was preceded by long and careful preparation. Leonardo fulfilled huge amount sketches that helped to select the most suitable gestures and poses of the figures. The artist considered in the plot of “The Last Supper” not only the deep dogmatic content, but also a huge human tragedy, which allows one to reveal the characters of the characters in the painting and demonstrate their emotional experiences. For da Vinci, “The Last Supper” became primarily a scene of betrayal, so one of the tasks was to introduce into this traditional biblical story a dramatic note that would give the fresco a completely new emotional coloring.
Reflecting on the concept of “The Last Supper,” the artist made notes describing the behavior and actions of certain participants in the scene: “The one who drank puts the cup on the table and fixes his gaze on the speaker, the other, having joined his fingers, frowns and looks at his comrade , the third shows his palms and raises his shoulders in surprise...” These records do not mention the names of the apostles, but da Vinci clearly identified the posture, facial expressions and gestures of each of them. The figures had to be arranged in such a way that the entire composition represented a single whole, conveying all the poignancy of the plot, full of passions and emotions. According to Leonardo, the apostles are not saints, but simple people who experience the events in their own way.
“The Last Supper” is considered the most mature and complete creation of da Vinci. The painting attracts with the amazing convincingness of the compositional solution; the master manages to avoid any elements that could distract the viewer from the main action. The central part of the composition is occupied by the figure of Christ, depicted against the background of the door opening. The apostles are moved away from Christ - this was done on purpose to concentrate more attention on him. For the same purpose, Leonardo placed the head of Jesus at the point of convergence of all lines of perspective. The students are divided into four groups, each of which looks dynamic and lively. The table is small in size, and the refectory is designed in a simple, austere style. Thanks to this, the emphasis is on characters whose plastic power is truly great. All these techniques demonstrate the deep creative intent and artistic determination of the author.
Carrying out the painting, Leonardo set himself the most important goal - to realistically convey the mental reactions of the apostles to the words of Jesus: "One of you will betray me". The image of each student is an almost complete, formed human temperament and character, which has its own uniqueness, and therefore their reaction to Christ’s prediction is different.
Da Vinci's contemporaries saw the genius of The Last Supper precisely in the subtle emotional differentiation, the embodiment of which was facilitated by the variety of poses, gestures and facial expressions of the characters. This feature of the fresco makes it stand out from the background of more early works depicting a biblical story. Other masters, such as T. Gaddi, D. Ghirlandaio, C. Roselli and A. Del Castanto, depicted students sitting at the table in calm, static poses, as if they had nothing to do with what was happening. These artists were unable to characterize Judas in sufficient detail from the psychological side and placed him isolated from the rest of the apostles on the other side of the table. Thus, the villainous opposition of Judas to the congregation was created artificially.
Da Vinci managed to break this tradition. Using rich artistic language made it possible to do without exclusively external effects. Leonardo's Judas is grouped with the other disciples, but his features in a certain way distinguish him from the apostles, so that an attentive viewer quickly recognizes the traitor.
All characters in the action are endowed with individuality. Before our eyes, in the congregation, which just a moment ago was in complete calm, the greatest excitement is growing, caused by the words of Jesus, piercing the dead silence like thunder. Most impulsive reaction to speech Christ three students sitting on his left side. They form an integral group, united by common gestures and willpower.
Philip jumps up from his seat, sending Jesus his perplexed question, Jacob, without hiding his indignation, spreads his arms, leaning back slightly, Thomas raises his hand up, as if trying to understand and evaluate what is happening. In a group sitting right hand from the Teacher, a slightly different mood reigns. It is separated from the figure of Christ by a considerable distance, and the emotional restraint of its participants is obvious. Judas, clutching a purse of silver in his hands, is depicted in a turn, his image is imbued with trembling fear of Jesus. The figure of Judas is deliberately painted in darker colors; it contrasts sharply with the light and in a bright way Joanna, who limply lowered his head and humbly folded his hands. Wedged between John and Judas Peter, who leans his hand on John’s shoulder and says something to him, leaning close to his ear, with his other hand Peter decisively grabs the sword, wanting to protect the Teacher at all costs. The disciples sitting near Peter look at Christ in surprise, as if they are asking a silent question, they want to know the name of the traitor. The last three figures were placed on the opposite side of the table. Matthew, with his arms stretched out towards Jesus, indignantly turns to Thaddeus, seeking an explanation from him for such unexpected news. But the elderly apostle is also in the dark, showing this with a bewildered gesture.
The figures seated at either end of the table are shown in full profile. This was not done by chance: Leonardo thus closed the movement sent from the center of the painting; the artist used a similar technique earlier in the painting “The Adoration of the Magi”, where this role was played by the figures of a young man and an old man located at the edges of the canvas. However, in this work we do not see such deep psychological techniques, traditional means of expression are mainly used here. In The Last Supper, on the contrary, a complex emotional subtext is clearly expressed, analogues to which in Italian painting The 15th century does not exist. Da Vinci's contemporaries immediately recognized the genuine genius of the transfer of a by no means new plot and took The Last Supper at its true worth, dubbing it a new word in fine art.
Jesus Christ, together with his disciples, was captured by Leonardo during their last meeting at dinner the evening before his execution. Therefore, it is not surprising that the fresco was made in the monastery dining room. The master, as befits a true genius, worked chaotically. At some times, he could not leave his creation for days, and then give up work for a while. The Last Supper was da Vinci's only major completed work. The painting was applied in an unconventional way, were used oil paints, rather than tempera - this allowed the work to be done much more slowly and made it possible to make some changes and additions along the way. The fresco is painted in a unique style; the viewer may get the impression that the image is behind foggy glass.
Leonardo da Vinci– the most mysterious and unstudied personality of past years. Some ascribe to him a gift from God and canonize him as a saint, while others, on the contrary, consider him an atheist who sold his soul to the devil. But the genius of the great Italian is undeniable, since everything that the hand of the great painter and engineer ever touched was instantly filled with hidden meaning. Today we will talk about famous work "The Last Supper" and the many secrets it hides.
Location and history of creation:
The famous fresco is in the church Santa Maria delle Grazie, located on the square of the same name in Milan. Or rather, on one of the walls of the refectory. According to historians, the artist specifically depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were in the church at that time. By this he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer to people than they seem.
The painter received an order to paint the work from his patron, the Duke of Milan. Ludovico Sforza in 1495. The ruler was famous for his dissolute life and youth was surrounded by young bacchantes. The situation did not change at all because the Duke had a beautiful and modest wife. Beatrice d'Este, who sincerely loved her husband and, due to her meek disposition, could not contradict his way of life. We must admit that Ludovico Sforza he sincerely revered his wife and was attached to her in his own way. But the dissolute duke felt the true power of love only at the moment of the sudden death of his wife. The man's grief was so great that he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when I came out, the first thing I did was order Leonardo da Vinci fresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.
The work was completed in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 cm. Many connoisseurs of the artist’s work agreed that it was best "Last Supper" You can see it if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. Moreover, there is something to see. Already during the author's lifetime, the fresco was considered his best work. Although, calling the painting a fresco would be incorrect. The point is that Leonardo da Vinci I wrote the work not on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, in order to be able to edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempra to the wall, which subsequently did a disservice, beginning to collapse just 20 years after the painting was painted. But more on that a little later.
Idea of the piece:
"The Last Supper" depicts the last Easter dinner of Jesus Christ with his disciples and apostles, which took place in Jerusalem on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to scripture, Jesus said during a meal that one of the apostles would betray him. Leonardo da Vinci I tried to depict the reaction of each of the students to the prophetic phrase of the Teacher. To do this, he walked around the city, talked to ordinary people, made them laugh, upset them, and encouraged them. And at the same time he observed the emotions on their faces. The author's goal was to depict the famous dinner with pure human point vision. That is why he depicted everyone present in a row and did not draw a halo above anyone’s head (as other artists liked to do).
Now we have reached the most interesting part of the article: the secrets and features hidden in the work of the great author.
1. According to historians, the most difficult thing is Leonardo da Vinci given the writing of two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist tried to make them the embodiment of good and evil, so for a long time he could not find suitable models. One day, an Italian saw a young singer in a church choir - so spiritual and pure that there was no doubt left: here he was - the prototype of Jesus for him. "Last Supper". But, despite the fact that the image of the Teacher was painted, Leonardo da Vinci I corrected it for a long time, considering it insufficiently perfect.
The last unwritten character in the picture was Judas. The artist spent hours wandering through the worst places, looking for a model to paint among the degraded people. And now, almost 3 years later, he got lucky. An absolutely degenerate guy was lying in a ditch, in a state of severe alcoholic intoxication. The artist ordered him to be brought to the studio. The man could hardly stand on his feet and had no idea where he was. However, after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. To the author’s bewilderment, the man replied that three years ago he was completely different, led a correct lifestyle and sang in the church choir. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him. Thus, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were based on the same person at different periods of his life. This once again emphasizes the fact that good and evil go so close that sometimes the line between them is imperceptible.
By the way, while working Leonardo da Vinci distracted by the abbot of the monastery, who constantly hurried the artist and argued that he should paint a picture for days, and not stand in front of it in thought. One day the painter could not stand it and promised the abbot to write off Judas from him if he did not stop interfering in creative process.
2. The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of the disciple located at the right hand of Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not Jesus' mistress, as is commonly believed, but his legal wife. This fact is confirmed by the letter “M”, which is formed by the contours of the couple’s bodies. Supposedly it means the word "Matrimonio", which translated means "marriage". Some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature is visible in the painting Leonardo da Vinci- letter "V". The first statement is supported by the mention that Mary Magdalene washed Christ’s feet and dried them with her hair. According to tradition, this could only be done legal wife. Moreover, it is believed that the woman was pregnant at the time of her husband’s execution and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, who marked the beginning of the Merovingian dynasty.
3. Some scholars argue that the unusual arrangement of the students in the picture is not accidental. They say Leonardo da Vinci placed people by... zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.
4. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the bombing during the Second World War, a shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything except the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Although, the people themselves not only did not take care of the work, but also treated it in a truly barbaric manner. In 1500, a flood in the church caused irreparable damage to the painting. But instead of restoring the masterpiece, the monks in 1566 made a hole in the wall with the image "Last Supper" a door that “cut off” the characters’ legs. 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. The already dilapidated fresco was covered with manure, and the French competed with each other: who would hit the head of one of the apostles with a brick. However, there were "Last Supper" and fans. The French king Francis I was so impressed by the work that he seriously thought about how to transport it to his home.
5. No less interesting are the thoughts of historians about the food depicted on the table. For example, near Judas Leonardo da Vinci depicted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered a bad omen), as well as an empty plate. But the biggest point of controversy is still the fish in the picture. Contemporaries still cannot agree on what is painted on the fresco - a herring or an eel. Scientists believe that this ambiguity is not accidental. The artist specially encrypted in the painting hidden meaning. The fact is that in Italian “eel” is pronounced “aringa”. We add one more letter, and we get a completely different word - “arringa” (instruction). At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means "one who denies religion." For the atheist artist, the second interpretation is closer.
As you can see, in one single picture there are hidden many secrets and understatements, which more than one generation has been struggling to uncover. Many of them will remain unsolved. And contemporaries will only have to speculate about the great Italian in paint, marble, sand, trying to prolong the life of the fresco.
Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" anticipates new stage development Italian art- High Renaissance.
The illusory space visually continues the real space of the refectory. The planes of the side walls and ceiling extending into the depths act as an illusory continuation of the walls and ceiling of the refectory, but do not completely coincide with them due to their somewhat forced spatial perspective. In addition, the table with the figures sitting behind it is located slightly above the floor level of the refectory, and the figures are shown not in life size, but slightly larger. Thus, the impression of complete optical unity of real and illusory spaces is eliminated, their relationship becomes more complicated, losing its uniqueness. The sacred action is no longer mixed with everyday and everyday affairs and appears more important and significant.
Even more striking is the impression of extreme tension of the plot collision that Leonardo’s fresco leaves. It is achieved through a carefully thought-out composition of a pictorial story about the gospel event. The moment is shown when Jesus has just uttered his words: “... one of you who eats with Me will betray Me,” and therefore all compositional trajectories are drawn towards his figure - not only the optical, but also the semantic center of the work. Lonely and isolated from the rest, additionally highlighted by the image of a window behind Christ’s back, falling into the focus of the convergence of perspective lines, his figure acts as a sign of unshakable calm and unshakable confidence in the correctness of the chosen path. The spatial “pauses” on either side of her are visually read as an image of a truly “deathly” silence that immediately followed his words, giving way to a discord of bewildered exclamations and the unison sounding “isn’t it me?”
Each of the figures of the apostles represents a certain type of expression, using the language of facial expressions and gestures to personify bewilderment, anger, and fear. To bring together all this diversity of mental movements, Leonardo subordinates the image to strict compositional discipline. You can notice that the apostles are united in groups, three in each, which is why, in contrast to each other, their figures receive additional expressiveness. With this principle of compositional grouping, the internal rhythm of the action is revealed with amazing clarity, moreover, it gets the opportunity to develop over time. In fact, each group represents a certain stage of understanding the words heard from the Teacher. An explosion of emotions, the epicenter of which is in the center of the table, where Jesus sits, in the form of a weakening echo reaches the ends of the table, from where, through the gestures of the apostles sitting at its ends, it returns to its starting point - the figure of Christ.
A recent spate of books and articles has increasingly suggested that Leonardo da Vinci was the leader of an underground society and what he hid in his artistic works secret codes and messages. Is this true? In addition to his role in history as famous artist, scientist and inventor, was he also the keeper of some great secret that has been passed down through the centuries?
CIPHERS AND ENCRYPTION. LEONARDO DA VINCI'S ENCRYPTION METHOD.
Leonardo was, of course, no stranger to the use of codes and encryption. All his notes are written backwards, mirrored. Why exactly Leonardo did this remains unclear. It has been suggested that he may have felt that some of his military inventions would be too destructive and powerful if they fell into the wrong hands. Therefore, he protected his papers using the write-back method. Other scientists point out that this type of encryption is too simple, because to decipher it you just need to hold the paper up to the mirror. If Leonardo used it for security, he was probably concerned with hiding the contents only from the casual observer.
Other researchers believe that he used backward writing simply because it was easier for him. Leonardo was left-handed, and writing backwards was less difficult for him than for a right-hander.
CRYPTEX
IN lately many people credit Leonardo with inventing a mechanism called the cryptex. A cryptex is a tube that consists of a series of rings with the letters of the alphabet engraved on them. When the rings are turned so that some of the letters line up to form the password to open the cryptex - one of the end caps can be removed and the contents (usually a piece of papyrus wrapped around a glass container of vinegar) can be removed. If someone tries to get the contents by breaking the device, the glass container inside will crack and the vinegar will dissolve what is written on the papyrus.
In his popular book (fiction) The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown credits the invention of the cryptex to Leonardo da Vinci. But there is no real evidence that it was da Vinci who invented and/or designed this device.
SECRETS OF THE MONA LISA PAINTING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI. THE SECRET OF GIOCONDA'S SMILE.
One popular idea is that Leonardo wrote secret symbols or messages in his works. Having analyzed his most famous painting, "Mona Lisa", many are sure that Leonardo used some tricks when creating the painting. Many people find Mona Lisa's smile particularly haunting. They say that it appears to change even though there is no change in the properties of the paint on the surface of the painting.
Professor Margaret Livingston of Harvard University suggests that Leonardo painted the edges of the portrait's smile so that they appear slightly out of focus. This makes them easier to see peripheral vision than if you look at them directly. This may explain why some people report that the portrait appears to smile more when they look directly at the smile.
Another theory, proposed by Christopher Tyler and Leonid Kontsevich of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, says that smiling appears to change due to variable levels of random noise in the human visual system. If you close your eyes in a dark room, you will notice that everything is not perfectly black. The cells in our eyes create low levels of "background noise" (we see this as tiny light and dark spots). Our brains usually filter this out, but Tyler and Kontsevich suggested that when looking at the Mona Lisa, these little dots could change the shape of her smile. To prove their theory, they placed several random sets of dots on the Mona Lisa painting and showed it to people. Some of the respondents said that Gioconda’s smile looked more joyful than usual, others thought on the contrary, that the dots darkened the portrait. Tyler and Kontsevich argue that noise, which is inherent in the human visual system, has the same effect. When someone looks at a painting, their visual system adds noise to the image and changes it, making the smile appear to change.
Why does Mona Lisa smile? Over the years, people have speculated: some thought she might have been pregnant, others found the smile sad and suggested she was unhappy in her marriage.
Dr. Lillian Schwartz of the Bell Labs research center has come up with a theory that seems unlikely but intriguing. She thinks that Gioconda is smiling because the artist was playing a joke on the audience. She claims that the picture is not of a smiling young woman, that in fact it is a self-portrait of the artist himself. Schwartz noticed that when she used a computer to identify features in the Mona Lisa portrait and Da Vinci's self-portrait, they matched exactly. However, other experts note that this may be a result of both portraits being painted with the same paints and brushes, by the same artist, and using the same painting techniques.
THE SECRET OF THE PICTURE THE LAST SUPPER BY LEONARDO DA VINCI.
Dan Brown, in his popular thriller The Da Vinci Code, suggests that Leonardo's painting The Last Supper has a number of hidden meanings and symbols. IN fictional story there is an early church conspiracy to suppress the importance of Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus Christ (history records - to the chagrin of many believers - that she was his wife). Allegedly Leonardo was the head secret order people who knew the truth about Magdalene and tried to preserve it. One way Leonardo did this was to leave clues in his famous work, The Last Supper.
The painting depicts Jesus' last meal with his disciples before his death. Leonardo tries to capture the moment when Jesus announces that he will be betrayed, and that one of the men at the table will be his betrayer. The most significant clue left by Leonardo, according to Brown, is that the disciple identified as John in the painting is actually Mary Magdalene. Indeed, if you take a quick look at the picture, it seems that this is really the case. The man pictured to the right of Jesus has long hair and smooth skin, which could be considered as female characteristics, compared to the rest of the apostles, who look a little rougher and appear older. Brown also points out that Jesus and the figure on his right hand together form the outline of the letter "M". Does this symbolize Mary or perhaps the wife (Matrimony in English for marriage, matrimony)? Are these the keys to secret knowledge left behind by Leonardo?
"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci
Despite the first impression that this figure looks more feminine in the picture, the question remains whether this figure also looked feminine to viewers of the era in which Leonardo painted this picture. Probably not. After all, John was considered the youngest of the disciples, and he was often depicted as a beardless youth with soft features and long hair. Today one can regard this person as a female being, but if you go back to Florence, in the fifteenth century, take into account the difference in cultures and expectations, try to delve into the ideas of those times about the feminine and masculine principles - you can no longer be sure that this is actually a woman . Leonardo was not the only artist who depicted John in this way. Domenico Ghirlandaio and Andrea del Castagno wrote John in a similar way in their paintings:
"The Last Supper" by Andrea del Castagno
"The Last Supper" by Domenico Ghirlandaio
In his Treatise on Painting, Leonardo explains that characters in a painting should be depicted based on their types. These types can be: "sage" or "crone". Each type has its own characteristics, for example: beard, wrinkles, short or long hair. John, as in the photo, at the Last Supper, represents the student type: a protege who has not yet matured. Artists of the era, including Leonardo, would have depicted this type, the "student", as very young man with soft features. This is exactly what we see in the picture.
Regarding the outline of the "M" in the picture, this is a result of the way the artist composed the picture. Jesus, at the moment when he announces his betrayal, sits alone in the center of the picture, his body shaped like a pyramid, the disciples arranged in groups on either side of him. Leonardo often used the pyramid shape in the compositions of his works.
PRIORITY OF SION.
There are suggestions that Leonardo was the leader of a secret group called the Priory of Sion. According to the Da Vinci Code, the Priory's mission was to preserve Mary Magdalene's secret about her marriage to Jesus. But The Da Vinci Code is fiction, based on theories from a controversial "non-fiction" book called Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Richard Lee, Michael Baigent and Henry Lincoln, written in the early 1980s.
The book Holy Blood and Holy Grail, as evidence of Leonardo's membership in the Priory of Sion, provides a number of documents that are kept in National Library France, in Paris. While there is some evidence that an order of monks with this name existed as early as 1116 AD. e., and this medieval group has nothing in common with the Priory of Sion of the 20th century, but the years of da Vinci’s life: 1452 - 1519.
There are indeed documents confirming the existence of the Priory, but it is likely that they are part of a hoax conceived by a man named Pierre Plantard in the 1950s. Plantard and a group of like-minded right-wingers with anti-Semitic tendencies founded the Priory in 1956. By producing false documents, including forged genealogical tables, Plantard apparently hoped to prove that he was a Merovingian descendant and heir to the French throne. A document allegedly indicating that Leonardo, along with such luminaries as Botticelli, Isaac Newton and Hugo, were members of the Priory of Sion organization - with a high probability, may also be fake.
It is unclear whether Pierre Plantard also tried to perpetuate the story of Mary Magdalene. He is known to have claimed that the Priory possessed the treasure. Not a set of priceless documents, as in the Da Vinci Code, but a list of sacred objects written on a copper scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in the 50s. Plantard told interviewers that the Priory would return the treasure to Israel when "the time is right." Experts' opinions on this matter are divided: some believe that there is no scroll, some believe that it is fake, and some that it is real, but does not rightfully belong to the Priory.
The fact that Leonardo da Vinci was not a member of a secret society, as shown in The Da Vinci Code, is not a reason to stop admiring his talent. Enabling this historical figure into contemporary fiction is intriguing, but in no way overshadows his achievements. His works of art have been and are a source of inspiration for millions over the centuries and contain subtleties that even the best experts are still trying to unravel. Moreover, his experiments and inventions characterize him as a progressive thinker whose research goes far beyond the scope of his contemporaries. Main secret Leonardo da Vinci is that he was a genius, but not many people in those days could understand this.
Last Supper.
Leonardo da Vinci- the most mysterious and unstudied personality of past years. Some ascribe to him a gift from God and canonize him as a saint, while others, on the contrary, consider him an atheist who sold his soul to the devil. But the genius of the great Italian is undeniable, since everything that the hand of the great painter and engineer ever touched was instantly filled with hidden meaning. Today we will talk about the famous work "The Last Supper" and the many secrets it hides.
Location and history of creation:
The famous fresco is in the churchSanta Maria delle Grazie, located on the square of the same name in Milan. Or rather, on one of the walls of the refectory. According to historians, the artist specifically depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were in the church at that time. By this he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer to people than they seem.
The painter received an order to paint the work from his patron, the Duke of Milan.Ludovico Sforzain 1495. The ruler was famous for his dissolute life and from a young age was surrounded by young bacchantes. The situation did not change at all because the Duke had a beautiful and modest wife.Beatrice d'Este, who sincerely loved her husband and, due to her meek disposition, could not contradict his way of life. We must admit thatLudovico Sforzahe sincerely revered his wife and was attached to her in his own way. But the dissolute duke felt the true power of love only at the moment of the sudden death of his wife. The man's grief was so great that he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when I came out, the first thing I did was orderLeonardo da Vincifresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.
The work was completed in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 cm. Many connoisseurs of the artist’s work agreed that it was best"Last Supper"You can see it if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. Moreover, there is something to see. Already during the author’s lifetime, the fresco was considered his best work. Although, calling the painting a fresco would be incorrect. The point is thatLeonardo da VinciI wrote the work not on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, in order to be able to edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempra to the wall, which subsequently did a disservice, beginning to collapse just 20 years after the painting was painted. But more on that a little later.
Idea of the piece:
"The Last Supper"depicts the last Easter dinner of Jesus Christ with his disciples and apostles, which took place in Jerusalem on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to scripture, Jesus said during a meal that one of the apostles would betray him.Leonardo da VinciI tried to depict the reaction of each of the students to the prophetic phrase of the Teacher. To do this, he walked around the city, talked to ordinary people, made them laugh, upset them, and encouraged them. And at the same time he observed the emotions on their faces. The author's goal was to depict the famous dinner from a purely human point of view. That is why he depicted everyone present in a row and did not draw a halo above anyone’s head (as other artists liked to do).
Now we have reached the most interesting part of the article: the secrets and features hidden in the work of the great author.
1. According to historians, the most difficult thing isLeonardo da Vincigiven the writing of two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist tried to make them the embodiment of good and evil, so for a long time he could not find suitable models. One day, an Italian saw a young singer in a church choir - so spiritual and pure that there was no doubt left: here he was - the prototype of Jesus for him."Last Supper". But, despite the fact that the image of the Teacher was painted,Leonardo da VinciI corrected it for a long time, considering it insufficiently perfect.
The last unwritten character in the picture was Judas. The artist spent hours wandering through the worst places, looking for a model to paint among the degraded people. And now, almost 3 years later, he got lucky. An absolutely degenerate guy in a state of severe alcoholic intoxication was lying in a ditch. The artist ordered him to be brought to the studio. The man could hardly stand on his feet and had no idea where he was. However, after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. To the author’s bewilderment, the man replied that three years ago he was completely different, led a correct lifestyle and sang in the church choir. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him. Thus, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were based on the same person at different periods of his life. This once again emphasizes the fact that good and evil go so close that sometimes the line between them is imperceptible.
By the way, while workingLeonardo da Vincidistracted by the abbot of the monastery, who constantly hurried the artist and argued that he should paint a picture for days, and not stand in front of it in thought. One day the painter could not stand it and promised the abbot to write off Judas from him if he did not stop interfering in the creative process.
2. The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of the disciple located at the right hand of Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not Jesus' mistress, as is commonly believed, but his legal wife. This fact is confirmed by the letter “M”, which is formed by the contours of the couple’s bodies. Supposedly it means the word "Matrimonio", which translated means "marriage". Some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature is visible in the paintingLeonardo da Vinci- letter "V". The first statement is supported by the mention that Mary Magdalene washed Christ’s feet and dried them with her hair. According to traditions, only a legal wife could do this. Moreover, it is believed that the woman was pregnant at the time of her husband’s execution and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, who marked the beginning of the Merovingian dynasty.
3. Some scholars argue that the unusual arrangement of the students in the picture is not accidental. They sayLeonardo da Vinciplaced people by... zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.
4. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the bombing during the Second World War, a shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything except the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Although, the people themselves not only did not take care of the work, but also treated it in a truly barbaric manner. In 1500, a flood in the church caused irreparable damage to the painting. But instead of restoring the masterpiece, the monks in 1566 made a hole in the wall with the image"Last Supper"a door that “cut off” the characters’ legs. 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. The already dilapidated fresco was covered with manure, and the French competed with each other: who would hit the head of one of the apostles with a brick. However, there were"Last Supper"and fans. The French king Francis I was so impressed by the work that he seriously thought about how to transport it to his home.
5. No less interesting are the thoughts of historians about the food depicted on the table. For example, near JudasLeonardo da Vincidepicted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered a bad omen), as well as an empty plate. But the biggest point of controversy is still the fish in the picture. Contemporaries still cannot agree on what is painted on the fresco - a herring or an eel. Scientists believe that this ambiguity is not accidental. The artist specifically encrypted the hidden meaning in the painting. The fact is that in Italian “eel” is pronounced “aringa”. We add one more letter, and we get a completely different word - “arringa” (instruction). At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means "one who denies religion." For the atheist artist, the second interpretation is closer.
As you can see, in one single picture there are hidden many secrets and understatements, which more than one generation has been struggling to uncover. Many of them will remain unsolved. And contemporaries will only have to speculate andrepeat a masterpiece the great Italian in paints, marble, sand, trying to extend the life of the fresco.