Original drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of The Last Supper. The Last Supper (fresco by Leonardo da Vinci)

From left to right, a table with food stretches across the entire width of the picture. At the table facing us in groups of three sit twelve characters with Christ in the center. The apostles are talking animatedly.
What are they talking about and what is the picture about?

S. M. Sandomirsky

Lazarev V.N.: “The Last Supper is the most mature and complete work of Leonardo. In this painting, the master avoids everything that could obscure the main course of the action depicted by him... Leonardo interprets his students individually…”.

It is unlikely that the "main task" of the artist was so small - to give a "psychic reaction" to the disciples of Christ. And what do we care about that?

Gukovsky M.A. writes: “Christ is tragically doomed to death, full of calm wisdom and love for a person for whom he is ready to endure deathly torment. His head, beautiful and simple, emerges in a bright, almost unearthly way against the background of an open window, his hands lay sacrificially and lovingly on the table. A gloomy and hard Judas looks like a terrible contrast... His head, sharply turned back, is immersed in heavy darkness, tragically (?) emphasizing his sharp features, predatory, hooked nose, frowning malicious look. Selfless, sacrificial service to the truth, of which Leonardo himself was a martyr, is opposed by cold, selfish selfishness ... ".

Head of Christ (Work for the Last Supper)

"Gloomy and harshness" is still not enough to attribute self-interest to a person, as well as a "predatory" nose and an "evil" look. And further:

“The different reactions of the apostles emphasize and explain the tragic depth of the gulf between Christ and Judas. They swear (?) their allegiance to the teacher, but none of them will find the courage to intercede for him in his hour of death. Only one stands out from their frightened group - this is the Apostle Thomas ... ".

The fact that Christ came to earth as a savior, and Judas sold him, but it seems not very profitable, everyone knows from the Bible. Leonardo is an illustrator? Nobody stepped in? Peter stood up for Christ and cut off the slave's ear, which was insane courage surrounded by dozens of enemies. A "frightened group" of apostles? No one was scared - look at the picture. Gukovsky extols Foma, seeing him as a scientist. What is so outstanding about it? One disbelief is not enough to create something.

Let's look at the picture. Compositionally, it is divided into Christ in the center and four groups of apostles, three in each. All perspective lines converge above the head of Christ. The tallest figure is Christ, since he, sitting, is almost level with the standing characters; the lowest is the apostle (!) Judas. He is on a par with everyone else, but is given in a sharp turn to the left.

Judas

Christ has both brushes on the table. The left hand extended towards us, palm up, touches the table with its fingers, but the palm is raised: the words of Christ seem to roll down from it towards us. At the same time, this palm is ready to receive our words. An incredibly wide stream of blood shoots up from the wrist and into the glass - one and a half fingers wide. The right hand with wide apart tense half-bent fingers in a very energetic movement moves towards us ... air: there is nothing under the fingers!

Blood gushing, but Christ sits, though sad, but calm. It is amazing that those around him (except Jacob) do not pay attention to this: no one is in a hurry to bandage his hand. Everyone is excitedly discussing something. Here is a well-known place from the Bible according to Matthew ch. 26:

“And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. They were very sad and began to say to Him, each of them: Is it not I, Lord? He answered and said, He who dips his hand with me into the dish, this one will betray me; however, the Son of Man goes as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born. At the same time, Judas, betraying him, said: Is it not I, Rabbi? Jesus says to him: You said. And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, and said, Drink all of you from it; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

The words: “They were very sad and began to say to Him, each of them: Is it not I, Lord?” do not correspond to the violent reaction of the apostles in the picture. Those who eat bread, in which the blessing of Christ, eat as if his body: the qualities of the Teacher become their qualities. When disciples drink blood-wine, they comprehend the essence of the new covenant, because blood, according to the beliefs of the ancients, was the material carrier of the soul. The right hand of Christ with a sharp movement sends forward a new covenant, the commandments of which were proclaimed by the left hand and its blood. Do you accept them, are you able to put them into practice, he asks the apostles, because one of you not only does not agree with me, but will betray me. The posture of Christ also speaks of this: the head and hands form a wide triangle, along the sides of which his words will roll to the right and left, hit the apostles and throw them to the sides: some are indignant - this cannot be! And others are ready to punish the traitor. The left palm of the Teacher receives the answer of the students. What Christ saw and heard would make him sad, for he would see their weakness. He lowers his head, acknowledging the correctness of the one who answered his challenge. The answer is given by Judas.

How does the artist support what he said? Seated Christ is above all, perspective lines converge above his head, he sits against a light background of an open door, behind which there is an open space. The artist emphasizes and shares his high spiritual principles, but is convinced that they will not find support, they are naive, lifeless, and they will face the same death as the imminent death of the Teacher himself (Christ's eyes are at the horizon and soon he himself and his teaching will perish) . Judas speaks from the spiritual bottom, but this low, earthly correctness is on his side.

Robert Wallace in the book World of Leonardo, M., 1997 writes: “Of the two problems that have confronted the writers of The Last Supper for centuries, Leonardo solved the problem of isolating Judas with the greatest ease. He placed Judas on the same side of the table as everyone else, but psychologically separated him from others with a loneliness that is much whiter crushing than mere physical separation. Gloomy and concentrated, Judas recoiled from Christ. On it, as it were, an age-old seal of guilt and loneliness.

Judas sits with everyone, like an apostle in the row of apostles. Christ is lonely, that's why he is sad, but who is the least lonely is Judas. Hence his confident strength. And he is not guilty, because the conversation in the picture is not about betrayal, but about saving the souls of people who are least concerned about this.

Consider the apostles, although after what has been said they no longer decide anything.

12 11 10 9 8 7 Christ 1 2 3 4 5 6
Thomas James (the Elder) Philip Matthew Thaddeus Simeon
Bartholomew Jacob (the Younger) Andrew Judas Peter John

1. Thomas in the doorway on a light background. The right hand is compressed, the index finger is up: "God will not allow such a crime."

2. James the Elder looks with horror at the blood of the new covenant spouting from the wrist. Widely spread arms and hands hold back the words of Christ and try to protect those behind him.

Heads of St. Thomas and St. James Zebedee (Work for the Last Supper)

3. Philip presses his fingers to his chest and in the face of a plea: "Trust me, it's impossible on my part."

4. Both hands accept the words of Christ and Simeon asks with a look: "Is it possible what he says."

5. Thaddeus with his right palm receives the words of Christ and questions Simeon.

6. Matthew, both palms are directed at Christ, - he takes his words back: "It's impossible!"

7. John. The fingers are clasped and lie on the table, showing anguish, weakness. He swung sharply to the left, his eyes closed. The head rests helplessly on the shoulder.

8. Peter. The left hand receives the words of Christ and comforts John. In his right hand is a knife - he is ready to kill the traitor.

9. Judas: stable low strength, self-righteousness, determination, energy.

Heads of St. Peter and Jude (Work for the Last Supper)

10. Andrey's raised palms at chest level: "Who is the traitor?" His gaze squinted at the knife.

11. The right hand of Jacob the Younger on Andrew's shoulder: he agrees with him. She accepts the words of Christ.

12. Bartholomew resolutely stood up and is ready to act.

In general, the right group of apostles does not allow betrayal; the left one admits such a possibility and is determined to punish the traitor.

In how much John swayed to the left, completely freeing the window - the light of the truth of Christ, and Thomas, being in the window at the level of Christ, but relying not on himself, but on God; how the apostle James the Elder was thrown to the right, how the rest of the disciples got mixed up, confused, petty fussed, give out the thought of Leonardo da Vinci that the ideas of sacrifice and salvation, the commandments of the new testament of Christ by the apostles - these weak people - will not be carried out and his sacrifice is in vain. This is the reason for the despondency of Christ. Moreover, the artist himself pays tribute to the high aspiration and sacrifice of the earthly God.

2002-2003 S. M. Sandomirsky

Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper. 1494 -1498 (before restoration)

From the testimony of Ammoreti, it should be concluded that the painting "The Last Supper" was completed in 1497. Unfortunately, Leonardo da Vinci painted it with paints, some of which turned out to be very fragile. Already fifty years after the end, the picture, according to Vasari, was in the most miserable state. However, if at that time it was possible to fulfill the desire of King Francis I, expressed sixteen years after the completion of the painting, and, breaking down the wall, transfer the painting to France, then perhaps it would have been preserved. But this could not be done. In 1500, the water that flooded the meal completely ruined the wall. In addition, in 1652 a door was broken in the wall under the face of the Savior, which destroyed the legs of this figure. The painting has been unsuccessfully restored several times. In 1796, after the French crossed the Alps, Napoleon gave a strict order to spare the meal, but the generals following him, ignoring his order, turned this place into a stable, and later into a storage place for hay.

Big Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron

Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper.1494 -1498 (after restoration)

V. Lazarev

Leonardo's most famous work is the famous "Last Supper" in the Milanese monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. This painting, in its present form representing the ruin, was made between 1495 and 1497. The reason for the rapid deterioration, which made itself felt already in 1517, was a peculiar technique that combined oil with tempera.

In connection with The Last Supper, Vasari cites a funny episode in his biography of Leonardo, which perfectly characterizes the artist’s manner of work and his sharp tongue. Dissatisfied with the slowness of Leonardo, the prior of the monastery insistently demanded that he finish his work as soon as possible. “It seemed strange to him to see that Leonardo was immersed in thought for the whole half of the day. He wanted the artist not to let go of the brushes, like they do not stop working in the garden. Not limited to this, he complained to the duke and began to pester him so much that he was forced to send for Leonardo and in a delicate form ask him to take up the work, making it clear in every possible way that he was doing all this at the insistence of the prior. Having started a conversation with the duke on general artistic topics, Leonardo then pointed out to him that he was close to finishing the painting and that he had only two heads left to paint - Christ and the traitor Judas. “He would like to look for this last head, but in the end, if he does not find anything better, he is ready to use the head of this very prior, so intrusive and indiscreet. This remark greatly amused the duke, who told him that he was a thousand times right. In this way, the poor embarrassed prior continued to push the work in the garden and left Leonardo alone, who finished the head of Judas, which turned out to be the true embodiment of betrayal and inhumanity.

Leonardo prepared carefully and for a long time for the Milanese painting. He completed many sketches in which he studied the postures and gestures of individual figures. The Last Supper attracted him not with its dogmatic content, but with the opportunity to unfold a great human drama in front of the viewer, show various characters, reveal the spiritual world of a person and accurately and clearly describe his experiences. He took The Last Supper as a scene of betrayal and set himself the goal of introducing into this traditional image that dramatic beginning, thanks to which it would acquire a completely new emotional sound.

Thinking over the concept of The Last Supper, Leonardo not only made sketches, but also wrote down his thoughts about the actions of individual participants in this scene: looks at his companion, the other shows the palms of his hands, raises his shoulders to his ears and expresses surprise with his mouth ... ”. The record does not contain the names of the apostles, but Leonardo, apparently, clearly imagined the actions of each of them and the place that each was called to take in the overall composition. Specifying poses and gestures in the drawings, he was looking for such forms of expression that would involve all the figures in a single whirlpool of passions. He wanted to capture living people in the images of the apostles, each of whom responds to the event in his own way.

The Last Supper is Leonardo's most mature and complete work. In this painting, the master avoids everything that could obscure the main course of the action depicted by him, he achieves a rare convincing compositional solution. In the center, he places the figure of Christ, highlighting it with the opening of the door. He deliberately moves the apostles away from Christ in order to further emphasize his place in the composition. Finally, for the same purpose, he makes all perspective lines converge at a point directly above the head of Christ. Leonardo divides his students into four symmetrical groups, full of life and movement. He makes the table small, and the refectory strict and simple. This gives him the opportunity to focus the viewer's attention on figures that have tremendous plastic power. In all these techniques, the deep purposefulness of the creative plan is reflected, in which everything is weighed and taken into account.

The Golden Ratio at the Last Supper

The main task that Leonardo set himself in The Last Supper was the realistic transmission of the most complex mental reactions to the words of Christ: "One of you will betray me." Giving complete human characters and temperaments in the images of the apostles, Leonardo makes each of them react in his own way to the words spoken by Christ. It was this subtle psychological differentiation, based on a variety of faces and gestures, that struck Leonardo’s contemporaries the most, especially when comparing his paintings with earlier Florentine images on the same subject by Tadeo Gaddi, Andrea del Castagno, Cosimo Rosselli and Domenico Ghirlandaio. All these masters have apostles sitting quietly, like extras, at the table, remaining completely indifferent to everything that happens. Not having strong enough means in their arsenal to characterize Judas psychologically, Leonardo's predecessors singled him out from the general group of apostles and placed him in the form of a completely isolated figure in front of the table. Thus, Judas was artificially opposed to the entire assembly as an outcast and a villain. Leonardo boldly breaks this tradition. His artistic language is rich enough not to resort to such purely external effects. He unites Judas in one group with all the other apostles, but gives him such features that allow an attentive viewer to immediately identify him among the twelve disciples of Christ.

Leonardo treats each of his students individually. Like a stone thrown into the water, creating circles that spread out more and more on the surface, the words of Christ, falling in the midst of dead silence, cause the greatest movement in the assembly, a moment before being in a state of complete rest. Especially impulsively respond to the words of Christ those three apostles who sit on his left hand. They form an inseparable group imbued with a single will and a single movement. Young Philip jumped up, turning to Christ with a bewildered question, Jacob the elder spread his hands in indignation and leaned back a little, Thomas raised his hand up, as if trying to realize what was happening. The group on the other side of Christ is imbued with a completely different spirit. Separated from the central figure by a significant interval, she is distinguished by an incomparably greater restraint of gestures. Presented in a sharp turn, Judas convulsively squeezes a purse with pieces of silver and looks at Christ with fear; his shadowy, ugly, rough profile contrasts with the brightly lit, beautiful face of John, who limply lowered his head on his shoulder and calmly folded his hands on the table. Between Judas and John wedged the head of Peter; leaning towards John and leaning his left hand on his shoulder, he whispers something in his ear, while his right hand decisively grabbed the sword with which he wants to protect his teacher. Three other apostles sitting near Peter are turned in profile. Looking closely at Christ, they seem to be asking him about the culprit of the betrayal. At the opposite end of the table is the last group of three pieces. Matthew, stretching out his arms towards Christ, indignantly turns to the elderly Thaddeus, as if wanting to get an explanation from him of everything that is happening. However, the bewildered gesture of the latter clearly shows that he remains in the dark.

It is far from accidental that Leonardo depicted both extreme figures sitting at the edges of the table in a clean profile. They close on both sides the movement coming from the center, performing here the same role that belonged in the "Adoration of the Magi" to the figures of an old man and a young man, placed at the very edges of the picture. But if the psychological means of expression in Leonardo did not rise above the traditional level in this work of the early Florentine era, then in The Last Supper they reach such perfection and depth, equal to which it would be in vain to look for in all Italian art of the 15th century. And this was well understood by the master's contemporaries, who perceived Leonardo's "Last Supper" as a new word in art. It struck and continues to strike not only by the truthfulness of the details, but also by the fidelity “in the reproduction of typical characters in typical circumstances,” that is, by what Engels considered the main sign of realism.

The very name of the famous work by Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper" carries a sacred meaning. Indeed, many of Leonardo's paintings are covered with an aura of mystery. In The Last Supper, as in many other works of the artist, there is a lot of symbolism and hidden messages.

Recently, the restoration of the legendary creation was completed. Thanks to this, it was possible to learn a lot of interesting facts related to the history of the painting. Its meaning is still not entirely clear. More and more conjectures are being born about the hidden message of The Last Supper.

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most mysterious figures in the history of fine arts. Some practically classify the artist as a saint and write laudatory odes to him, while others, on the contrary, consider him a blasphemer who sold his soul to the devil. But at the same time, no one doubts the genius of the great Italian.

History of the painting

It is hard to believe, but the 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, it is worth noting, he respected and revered very much.

But, unfortunately, the true strength of his love manifested itself 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 ordered was Leonardo da Vinci's fresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever put an end to his rampant lifestyle.

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

The famous fresco is 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.

Interesting Facts

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

2. Many historians believe that the Eucharist (communion) is depicted on the mural, 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 still know the story from the school year that the images of Jesus and Judas were the most difficult for Da Vinci. 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 an Italian, during a service in a church, saw a young man in the choir, so inspired and pure that there was no doubt: here it is - the incarnation of Jesus for his "Last Supper".

The last character, the prototype of which the artist still could not find, was Judas. Da Vinci spent hours wandering through the narrow Italian streets in search of a suitable model. And now, after 3 years, the artist found what he was looking for. There was a drunkard lying in the ditch, who had long been on the edge of society. The artist ordered the drunkard to be brought to his studio. The man practically did not stay on his feet and had little idea where he was at all.

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

So, 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 sitting at the right hand of Jesus Christ is not a man at all, but none other than Mary Magdalene. Her location indicates that she was the lawful wife of Jesus. From the silhouettes of Mary Magdalene and Jesus, the letter M is formed. Allegedly, it means the word matrimonio, which translates as “marriage”.

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

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 for the wall on which the fresco is depicted.

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

7. No less interesting are the reflections of people of art on 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 nature of the artist and his atheistic views, this hypothesis is more than likely.

I think that even if you do not consider yourself a connoisseur of high art, you are still interested in this information. If so, please share the article with your friends.

For two millennia, Orthodox Christians have been taking communion every Sunday and on the days of great church holidays. They do this to a prayer composed by John Chrysostom mentioning an event called the Last Supper. With what it was connected - we will understand in this article.

The Last Supper - what is this event?

At this meeting, Jesus gathered all of his people for the last time to celebrate the Old Testament Jewish Passover together. She symbolized the deliverance of the Jewish people from the Egyptian yoke. In addition, another task lay on such an event as the Last Supper - Jesus and Judas understood everything about each other. The first predicted the betrayal of the second, and Judas became the only one who understood the origin of the teacher and to whom the son of God revealed all the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Why is the supper called a mystery?

Because Jesus Christ on his last evening established the sacrament of Holy Communion. The Last Supper is an event that is commemorated by Christians in. Then it was customary to bake unleavened bread on that day and to chop the lamb. There was no meat of the latter on the tables of the apostles and the son of God, because he himself went to the slaughter, ascending to the Cross for the sins of all the followers of Adam. Taking a piece of bread and a glass of wine in his hands, he said: "Do this in remembrance of Me." The cup of wine represents the blood of Christ shed for people, and the bread represents his flesh. That is, the Lord performed the Passover Seder.

Where did the Last Supper take place?

To search for a suitable place, Christ sent two disciples to Jerusalem. He predicted to them that on the way they would meet a traveler with a jug of water, who would turn out to be the owner of the desired house. Those who are interested in where the Last Supper was should answer that after the apostles announced the will of the teacher to the host, he provided them with an upper room where they could prepare everything for Easter.

The Last Supper - a parable

There is a parable about the creation of a canvas of the same name, authored by Leonardo da Vinci. He painted all the heroes of his picture from nature, selecting suitable models. He wrote the image of Christ from a young singing choir, but for the role of Judas for a long time he could not find anyone. And after a long search in the gutter, a young, but prematurely aged man was found with the seal of all the vices on his face.

When he saw himself in the picture, he said that three years ago he had already acted as a model, but then the artist painted Christ from him. The meaning of the parable The Last Supper is to live according to the command of God, remembering the deed of Jesus and hoping for salvation in the kingdom of God. Faith can make us holy, give us eternal life, and unbelief can turn us into a pitiful likeness of a person who is unable to resist sin, the power of the Devil.

The Last Supper in the Bible

At the meeting with the apostles, Jesus established the sacrament of the Eucharist. It consists in the consecration of bread and wine, which are subsequently eaten. For those who ask what the Last Supper means, it is worth saying that at the last meal, the son of God taught his disciples the Most Pure Body and Blood, giving himself as a sign of the subsequent resurrection and eternal life. Christ already knows about betrayal and speaks about it directly. At the same time, according to one version, he points to Judas, holding out a piece of bread to him, dipping it in a vessel of wine.

According to another version, at the Last Supper, he, along with Judas, pulls his hand to the goblet, which is direct evidence of his betrayal. He is saddened by the upcoming separation from his students and teaches them a lesson in eternal humility and love, washing everyone's feet in turn and wiping them with his own belt. The first to be washed was the Apostle Peter, and the Last Supper became a revelation to him. He says, "Will you wash my feet?" but Jesus replies, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me." The Lord did not disdain the duties of a slave in the name of love and unity.

The Last Supper - Prayer

Not only on Maundy Thursday, but throughout the year before communion at the liturgy, the priest reads a special prayer, constantly remembering what happened at such an event as the Last Supper, the Orthodox Church even restored the rite of washing the feet, carried out by the bishop after the liturgy. And although Maundy Thursday falls on Holy Week, it is considered a holiday, starting to celebrate it on Wednesday evening. At the same time, the canon “The cut is cut” is read, performing the irmos of the 9th song, and the prayer “Your Secret Supper” is sung at the liturgy.

In it, the prayer asks the Lord to accept him and make him a participant in such an event as the Last Supper. He promises not to betray secrets to enemies, not to give such a kiss as Judas gave, and asks to remember him in the Kingdom of God. This is how Jesus Christ died for faith and people, the Last Supper marks this event, and together with the communion of the apostles, the entire Christian people do this, uniting their souls with God and partaking of his Divine love.

Painting or fresco. Many call the Last Supper a painting, but officially it is called a fresco. For those readers who do not understand the difference well, we will tell you exactly how these two types of works of fine art differ from each other.

The Last Supper is not actually a fresco, don't look at the official name. Leonardo da Vinci wrote it on a dry surface, and he had his own reasons for this. The fresco must be painted quickly enough, until the plaster dries, and the master did not want to rush.

We will not talk for a long time about the plot, the last meal of Jesus Christ. Jesus is in the center of the picture, 12 apostles around him. Jesus informs his disciples that one of them will betray him. We will tell you in detail about what to look for when examining a painting at the end of this article.

Those of the tourists who tried to find information about the Last Supper in English or Italian noticed that this work is called in a completely different way. Only in our language does it have such a beautiful name. In other European languages, it is called more simply - “Last Supper”. "Last super" - in English or "L" Ultima Cena" - in Italian. These names will come in handy for you when buying tickets online.

Ticket problem.

After the release of the film “The Da Vinci Code”, the popularity of this attraction has increased greatly and still does not subside. Tourists are allowed inside strictly for 15 minutes and a limited group of 25 people. It is not always possible to buy tickets at the box office; during the peak season in summer, tickets may not be available for a week in advance. In winter, the situation is much better, tickets can usually be bought for an excursion on the current day.

You can book tickets in advance online. There are several sites where this can be done. All of them do not have Russian-language versions, only Italian and English.

The first site - vivaticket.it is distinguished by affordable prices. The ticket costs only 11.5 euros, including guide services. But on this site you will have to register to buy a ticket, and this procedure is not easy.

The second site - www.milan-museum.com allows you to buy tickets without registration, but you still have to enter your contact details and credit card details. The minimum ticket price on this site is 23.5 euros.

The third site - www.tickitaly.com is even more expensive, but it is also the most understandable and convenient. Tickets are the easiest to buy here, but they cost from 33 euros.

In any case, you will be sent a voucher, which you will need to print and present at the box office, in exchange for it you will receive a ticket.

What to look for when you get inside.

The second thing to pay attention to is the face of Christ himself. He knows his fate, his expression is nothing like fear. It was over this face that Leonardo da Vinci worked the most.

And, of course, you should pay attention to the faces of the apostles. They are confused, everyone is asking Jesus if he is a traitor. Many have fear or surprise on their faces.

Another interesting detail is at the bottom of the picture, right below Christ. This is part of the doorway, which was made here after the fresco was badly destroyed from time to time.

There are three Last Suppers in the world.

In the monastery of Santa Maria del Grazie in Milan, there is an original brush by Leonardo da Vinci himself. In fact, there is little left of the strokes of the master himself. Since the artist painted on a dry surface, after 20 years the Last Supper began to collapse, and after 60 years the figures were already hard to distinguish.

In Italy, a doorway was made in their place, but they, of course, remained on the copies. One of these copies is in London at the Royal Academy of Arts. The second copy can be seen in Switzerland in the church of St. Ambrogio.

We wish you a successful visit to Milan and an interesting inspection of the Last Supper fresco. Read about other places of interest in Italy in our articles ( links below).

The Last Supper is an event of the last days of the 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 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 were written with the same theme by artists from France, Germany and Spain.

Church of Santa Maria della Grazie

The painter received an order to paint the work from his patron, 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 left, the first thing he ordered was Leonardo da Vinci's fresco, which his late wife once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.

Sketch

"The Last Supper", description

The brush of Leonardo captured Jesus Christ with his apostles during the last supper before his execution, which took place 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. The artist, as is typical of creative people, worked very chaotically. Either he did not break away from his work for whole days, then he applied only a few strokes. He walked around the city, spoke with ordinary people, watched the emotions on their faces.

The size of the work is approximately 460 × 880 cm, it is located in the refectory of the monastery, on the back wall. Although often referred to as a fresco, this is not entirely correct. After all, Leonardo da Vinci 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 tempera to the wall.

The method of painting with oil paints turned out to be very short-lived. Ten years later, together with his students, he tries to make the first restoration work. A total of eight restorations have been 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, a constant temperature and humidity are maintained in the building through special filtering devices. Entrance at a time - no more than 25 people every 15 minutes, and the entrance ticket must be ordered in advance.

The cult work of Da Vinci is surrounded by legends, a number of mysteries and conjectures are associated with it. We will present some of them.

Leonardo Da Vinci "The Last Supper"

1. It is believed that the most difficult thing for Leonardo da Vinci was to write two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist has long been looking for suitable models to embody the images of good and evil.

Jesus

One day, Leonardo saw a young singer in the church choir - so inspired and pure that there was no doubt: he found the prototype of Jesus for his Last Supper. It remained to find Judas.

Judas

The artist spent hours wandering around haunted places, but he was lucky only after almost 3 years. In the ditch was lying absolutely fallen type in a state of extreme intoxication. They took him to the workshop. And after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard went up to the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. It turned out that three years ago he was completely different, led a correct lifestyle and sang in the church choir. And somehow an 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, who is located on 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 lawful 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 Leonardo da Vinci's signature, the letter "V", is visible in the painting.

4. During World War II, on August 15, 1943, the refectory was bombed. A shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything, except for the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Sandbags prevented bomb fragments from hitting the mural, 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 so far is the fish in the picture. It is not determined what is depicted on the fresco - a herring or an eel. Scientists see this as an encrypted hidden meaning. And all because in Italian "eel" is pronounced as "aringa". And "arringa" - in translation - instruction. At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means "one who denies religion" in translation.

There is no doubt that Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper still holds many unsolved secrets. And as soon as they are solved, we will certainly write about it.