Art
Prints by Leonardo da Vinci – The Last Supper
The
Last Supper is one of the most famous art works made by Leonardo da Vinci. The
original fresco can still be found in the wall of a refectory at the convent of
Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan, Italy. Thankfully however, art lovers can
obtain sample art prints of this most beautiful of frescos. Leonardo made the
Last Supper at the request of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza who paid for
the fresco. It took Leonardo da Vinci three years to get the job done (from 1495
to 1498). Quite some time! So each time you look at art prints of the Last
Supper, recall how much work went into getting it done.
The
original Last Supper fresco was huge - some 4.6 by 8.8 m, which roughly
translates to 15 by 29 feet for those not used to the metric system.
However, you can obtain art prints of this masterpiece that very in size from
paper-size to poster-size.
The
Last Supper depicts an event chronicled in all four Christian gospels. The night
before Jesus Christ was betrayed by one of his disciples, he gathered his
disciples together to celebrate what was then the Jewish Passover (the Passover
was celebrated in commemoration of the liberation of the Jewish people from
slavery in Egypt). Christ washed the feet of his disciples and shared a meal of
bread and wine with them, instructing them to do this in his memory. This is
still being done today in several Christian churches where it is known as the
Eucharist. This event became known as the Last Supper in commemoration of the
fact that it was the last meal Christ had with his disciples before his betrayal
and subsequent crucifixion.
Leonardo
da Vinci gives explicit human characteristics to Christ and his disciples in the
Last Supper. The persons depicted from left to right are: (1) Bartholomew (2)
James Minor (3) Andrew (4) Judas (5) Peter and
(6) John. Note that Judas clutches a small bag probably of silver.
According to the gospel accounts, Judas betrayed Jesus for 33 pieces of silver.
Others in the fresco are (7) Jesus Christ, who is placed in the middle of it all
(8) Thomas (9) James Major (10) Philip (11) Matthew (12) Thaddeus and (13)
Simon.
Most
art prints of the Last Supper try to maintain the original colors and texture
intended by Leonardo da Vinci. However, being over 500 years old, the Last
supper has had to undergo some restoration and each time an artwork is restored,
it looses a bit of its originality. Nevertheless, most art prints are close
enough to the original and you’re sure to enjoy viewing this masterpiece from
one of the greatest art masters in history.
You
can also link to more information on art
prints in general here.
Have
a nice day.
Oliver
John
Posters-ArtPrints-PictureFrames.com
September
2004
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