Last Supper. For many historians and art critics, Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" is greatest work world art. In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown focuses readers' attention on some of the symbolic elements of this painting in the moments when Sophie Neveu, while in Lee Teabing's house, learns that Leonardo may have encrypted some great secret in his masterpiece. “The Last Supper” is a fresco painted on the wall of the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan. Even in the era of Leonardo himself, it was considered his best and most famous work. The fresco was created between 1495 and 1497, but already during the first twenty years of its existence, as is clear from the written evidence of those years, it began to deteriorate. It measures approximately 15 by 29 feet.
The fresco was painted with a thick layer of egg tempera on dry plaster. Beneath the main layer of paint is a rough compositional sketch, a study in red, in a manner anticipating the usual use of cardboard. This is a kind of preparation tool. It is known that the customer of the painting was the Duke of Milan Lodovico Sforza, at whose court Leonardo gained fame as a great painter, and not the monks of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. The theme of the picture is the moment when Jesus Christ announces to his disciples that one of them will betray him. Pacioli writes about this in the third chapter of his book “The Divine Proportion”. It was this moment - when Christ announces betrayal - that Leonardo da Vinci captured. To achieve accuracy and lifelikeness, he studied the poses and facial expressions of many of his contemporaries, whom he later depicted in the painting. The identities of the apostles have repeatedly been the subject of controversy, however, judging by the inscriptions on a copy of the painting 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. Many art historians believe that this composition should be perceived as an iconographic interpretation of the Eucharist - communion, since Jesus Christ points with both hands to the table with wine and bread. Almost all scholars of Leonardo's work agree that the ideal place to view the painting is from a height of approximately 13-15 feet above the floor and at a distance of 26-33 feet from it. There is an opinion - now disputed - that composition and its system of perspective are based on the musical canon of proportion. What gives The Last Supper its unique character is that, unlike other paintings of its kind, it shows the amazing variety and richness of the characters’ emotions caused by Jesus’ words that one of his disciples would betray him. No other painting based on the Last Supper can even come close to unique composition and elaboration of details in Leonardo's masterpiece. So what secrets could he encrypt in his creation? great artist? In The Discovery of the Templars, Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett argue that several elements of the structure of the Last Supper indicate symbols encrypted in it. Firstly, they believe that the figure is right hand from Jesus (for the viewer she is on the left) - not John, but a certain woman.
She is wearing a robe, the color of which contrasts with the clothes of Christ, and she is tilted in the opposite direction from Jesus, who is sitting in the center. The space between this female figure and Jesus is shaped like a V, and the figures themselves form an M.
Secondly, in the picture, in their opinion, next to Peter a certain hand is visible, clutching a knife. Prince and Picknett claim that this hand does not belong to any of the characters in the film.
Thirdly, sitting directly to the left of Jesus (to the right for the audience), Thomas, addressing Christ, raised his finger.
And finally, there is a hypothesis that the Apostle Thaddeus sitting with his back to Christ is actually a self-portrait of Leonardo himself.
Let's look at each point in order. Upon closer examination of the painting, it turns out that the character to the right of Jesus (to the viewer - to the left) actually has feminine or feminine features. Prince and Picknett assure readers that under the folds of clothing one can even see female breast. Of course, Leonardo sometimes liked to give feminine features to male figures and faces. For example, a careful examination of the image of John the Baptist shows that he is endowed with almost the features of a hermaphrodite with pale, hairless skin.
But what does it matter if in the painting “The Last Supper” Jesus and John (the woman) leaned in opposite directions, forming a space between them in the form of the letter V, and the contours of their bodies forming the letter M? Does this have some symbolic meaning? Prince and Picknett argue that this unusual arrangement of figures, one of which has distinctly feminine features, contains a hint that this is not John, but Mary Magdalene, and the V sign is a symbol of the sacred feminine principle. The letter M, according to their hypothesis, means the name - Mary/Magdalene. You can agree or disagree with this assumption, but no one will deny its originality and courage. Let's focus on the bodyless hand. Whose hand is visible on the left, next to the figure of Peter? Why is she clutching a dagger or knife so menacingly? Another oddity is that Peter’s left hand seems to be cutting the throat of the neighboring figure with the edge of his palm.
What did Leonardo mean by this? What does Peter's strange gesture mean? However, upon closer examination, it is clear that the hand with the knife still belongs to Peter, and does not exist on its own. Peter turned it out left hand, and therefore her position is clearly unusual and extremely awkward. As for the second hand, threateningly raised to John/Mary’s throat, there is an explanation for this: Peter simply puts his hand on his/her shoulder. Most likely, disputes on this matter will continue for a very long time. As for Thomas, sitting to the left of Jesus (to the right - for the viewer), he really raised up forefinger left hand in a clearly threatening manner. This gesture of John the Baptist, as Prince and Picknett call it, is present in many paintings by Leonardo, as well as other painters of the era. It supposedly symbolizes the underground stream of knowledge and wisdom. The fact is that John the Baptist actually played a much more important role than the one assigned to him in Scripture. For those who wish to learn more about this, I recommend reading the book "The Discovery of the Templars." The Apostle Thaddeus depicted in the painting seems to bear some resemblance to Leonardo, if we compare his image with the famous self-portrait of the great artist. In many of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings of Jesus or the Holy Family, the same detail is noticeable: at least one of the figures is turned with his back to the main character painting. For example, in the painting “The Adoration of the Magi.” The recently completed restoration of The Last Supper has made it possible to learn a lot about this amazing picture. In it, and in many other paintings by Leonardo, some secret messages and forgotten symbols are actually hidden. However, their true meaning still remains not completely clear to us, which gives rise to more and more new guesses and assumptions. Be that as it may, much remains to be done in the future to unravel these mysteries. I would like us to be able to comprehend even to the smallest extent the plans of the great master.
Plot
The Last Supper is the last meal of Jesus Christ with his 12 disciples. That evening, Jesus established the sacrament of the Eucharist, which consisted of the consecration of bread and wine, and preached about humility and love. The key event of the evening is the prediction of the betrayal of one of the students.
The closest companions of Jesus - those same apostles - are depicted in groups around Christ, sitting in the center. Bartholomew, Jacob Alfeev and Andrey; then Judas Iscariot, Peter and John; then Thomas, James Zebedee and Philip; and the last three are Matthew, Judas Thaddeus and Simon.
According to one version, the closest person to the right hand of Christ is not John, but Mary Magdalene. If we follow this hypothesis, then her position points to marriage with Christ. This is supported by the fact that Mary Magdalene washed Christ’s feet and dried them with her hair. This could only be done legal wife.
Nikolai Ge “The Last Supper”, 1863
It is not known exactly what moment of the evening Da Vinci wanted to depict. Probably the reaction of the apostles to the words of Jesus about the impending betrayal of one of the disciples. The argument is the gesture of Christ: according to the prediction, the traitor will stretch out his hand to the food at the same time as the son of God, and the only “candidate” is Judas.
The images of Jesus and Judas were more difficult for Leonardo than others. The artist could not find suitable models. As a result, he based Christ on a singer in a church choir, and Judas on a drunken tramp, who, by the way, was also a singer in the past. There is even a version that Jesus and Judas were based on the same person at different periods of his life.
Context
For the end of the 15th century, when the fresco was created, the reproduced depth of perspective was a revolution that changed the direction of the development of Western painting. To be precise, “The Last Supper” is, rather, not a fresco, but a painting. The fact is that technically it was made on a dry wall, and not on wet plaster, as is the case with frescoes. Leonardo did this so that the images could be corrected. The fresco technique does not give the author the right to make mistakes.
Da Vinci received an order from his regular client, Duke Lodovico Sforza. The latter’s wife, Beatrice d’Este, who patiently endured her husband’s unbridled love for libertines, eventually died suddenly. The Last Supper was a kind of last will of the deceased.
Lodovico Sforza
Less than 20 years after the creation of the fresco, Da Vinci's work began to crumble due to humidity. After another 40 years it was almost impossible to recognize the figures. Apparently, contemporaries were not particularly worried about the fate of the work. On the contrary, they in every possible way, wittingly or unwittingly, only worsened his condition. So, in mid-17th century centuries, when the churchmen needed a passage in the wall, they made it in such a way that Jesus lost his legs. Later, the opening was blocked with bricks, but the legs could not be restored.
The French king Francis I was so impressed by the work that he seriously thought about transporting it to his home. And during World War II, the fresco miraculously survived - a shell that hit the church building destroyed everything except the wall with Da Vinci’s work.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
“The Last Supper” was repeatedly tried to be restored, although not particularly successfully. As a result, by the 1970s it became obvious that it was time to act decisively, otherwise the masterpiece would be lost. Colossal work has been carried out over 21 years. Today, visitors to the refectory have only 15 minutes to contemplate the masterpiece, and tickets, of course, must be purchased in advance.
One of the geniuses of the Renaissance, a universal man, was born near Florence - a place where, at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, cultural, political and economic life was extremely rich. Thanks to the families of patrons (such as the Sforza and the Medici), who generously paid for art, Leonardo was able to create freely.
Da Vinci statue in Florence
Da Vinci was not a highly educated man. But him notebooks allow us to speak of him as a genius whose range of interests extended extremely widely. Painting, sculpture, architecture, engineering, anatomy, philosophy. And so on and so forth. And the most important thing here is not the number of hobbies, but the degree of involvement in them. Da Vinci was an innovator. His progressive thought overturned the ideas of his contemporaries and set a new vector for the development of culture.
Last Supper - event last days earthly life of Jesus Christ, his last meal with his twelve closest disciples, during which he established the sacrament of the Eucharist and predicted the betrayal of one of the disciples. The Last Supper is the subject of many icons and paintings, but the most famous work- This is “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci.
In the center of Milan, next to the Gothic church of Santa Maria della Grazie, is the entrance to the former Dominican monastery, where the famous wall painting by Leonardo da Vinci is located. Created in 1495-97, The Last Supper is the most copied work. Already during the Renaissance, about 20 works with the same theme were written by artists from France, Germany and Spain.
Church of Santa Maria della Grazie
The painter received the order to paint the work from his patron, the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza in 1495. Despite the fact that the ruler was famous for his dissolute life, after the death of his wife he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when he came out, the first thing he did was order Leonardo da Vinci to paint a fresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.
Sketch
"The Last Supper", description
Leonardo's brush depicted Jesus Christ with his apostles during the last dinner before his execution, held in Jerusalem, on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to the scripture, Jesus said during the meal that one of the apostles would betray him (“and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me”). Leonardo da Vinci tried to depict the reaction of each of the students to the prophetic phrase of the teacher. An artist, as usual creative people, worked very chaotically. Either he did not look up from his work for whole days, or he applied only a few strokes. He walked around the city, talked to ordinary people, watched the emotions on their faces.
The dimensions of the work are approximately 460x880 cm, it is located in the refectory of the monastery, on the back wall. Although it is often called a fresco, this is not entirely correct. After all, Leonardo da Vinci wrote his work not on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, so that he could edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempera to the wall.
The method of painting with oil paints turned out to be very short-lived. Ten years later, he and his students are trying to carry out the first restoration work. A total of eight restorations were made over the course of 300 years. As a result, new layers of paint were repeatedly applied to the painting, significantly distorting the original.
Today, in order to protect this delicate work from damage, the building maintains a constant temperature and humidity through special filtering devices. Entrance at a time - no more than 25 people every 15 minutes, and admission ticket must be ordered in advance.
The iconic work of Da Vinci is surrounded by legends and is associated with whole line secrets and guesses. We will present some of them.
Leonardo Da Vinci "The Last Supper"
1. It is believed that Leonardo da Vinci had the hardest time writing two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist spent a long time searching for suitable models to embody the images of good and evil.
Jesus
One day Leonardo saw a young singer in a church choir - so spiritual and pure that there was no doubt: he had found the prototype of Jesus for his “Last Supper”. All that remained was to find Judas.
Judas
The artist spent hours wandering around the hot spots, but he got lucky only after almost 3 years. An absolutely degenerate guy in a state of severe alcoholic intoxication was lying in a ditch. He was brought to the workshop. And after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. It turned out that three years ago he was completely different, he led a healthy lifestyle and sang in the church choir. And one day some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him.
2. The painting contains repeated references to the number three:
The apostles sit in groups of three;
Behind Jesus are three windows;
The contours of the figure of Christ resemble a triangle.
3. The figure of the disciple located at the right hand of Christ remains controversial. It is believed that this is Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was the legal wife of Jesus. This fact is allegedly confirmed by the letter “M” (from “Matrimonio” - “marriage”), which is formed by the contours of the couple’s bodies. At the same time, some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature of Leonardo da Vinci is visible in the picture - the letter “V”.
4. During World War II, on August 15, 1943, the refectory was bombed. The shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything except the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Sandbags prevented bomb fragments from entering the painting, but vibration could have had a detrimental effect.
5. Historians and art historians study in detail not only the apostles, but also the food depicted on the table. For example, the biggest subject of controversy is still the fish in the picture. It is not determined whether what is painted on the fresco is a herring or an eel. Scientists see this as an encrypted hidden meaning. And all because in Italian “eel” is pronounced “aringa”. And “arringa” means instruction. At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means "one who denies religion."
There is no doubt that Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” still conceals many unsolved secrets. And as soon as they are solved, we will certainly write about it.
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 great 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.
While 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 the group sitting on the right hand of 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 fact 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 many secrets and understatements hidden, 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.