An excerpt from Leonardo by Frank Zollner
The Last Supper
However, the wall-painting of the Last Supper - painted between 1495 and 1497 in not very durable tempera - already began to show first signs of decay in the 16th century, which subsequent generations have tried to halt ever since with repeated attempts at restoration. Even so, the condition of the painting, which was already described as damaged in the 16th century, has never in the slightest detracted from its immense impact. Known the world over in countless copies, reworkings and illustrations, this is the most famous version of this theme. Like the Florentine artists before him, Leonardo portrayed the 'Last Supper' in a stage-like setting, constructed according to the rules of central perspective. The lines of perspective meet in Christ's right eye, which in itself emphasizes his central position both in the actual situation, and in its depiction. For his portrayal, Leonardo concentrated on the moment when Jesus sits down with his disciples and declares: "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me" (Matthew 26.21). In widely differing gestures and reactions almost all the disciples express their astonishment and horror at this news of imminent betrayal: at the left end of the table Bartholomew rises up from his chair in agitation, next to him James the Less and Andrew raise their hands in surprise. Peter is also getting up from his chair and looks angrily towards the centre of the picture. In front of him is the traitor Judas, leaning back in shock, but with his right hand fingering the pouch with the money he has been paid to betray the Lord. For the first time in the history of post-medieval depictions of the Last Supper, Judas is not shown sitting in front of the table, but is now behind it. Thus he is placed immediately
next to John, whose reaction is more muted (he does not yet know the identity of the traitor) as he looks to the front, with folded hands, almost contemplatively. Comparatively motionless, positioned in the centre of the composition and framed by the window behind him, sits Jesus himself On his other side are two more groups of three disciples each: Thomas, James the Great and Philip in one; Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon in the other.
Unlike paintings of the Last Supper by his immediate contemporaries, Leonardo imbues the scene with life by dividing the twelve apostles into four different groups, and by endowing his figures with precisely calculated, individual gestures and expressions. The drawings, sketches, and preparatory work immediately preceding the painting itself, as well as some eye-witness reports, all confirm the fact that the artist went to incomparable lengths to achieve a quite particular variety of gesture and facial expression. To this end he searched Milan and its surroundings for strongly expressive facial types that he could use for the individual disciples; he even sought out suitable models for their hands. These meticulous preparations may also be seen in the intensive physiognomic studies for the faces of James the Great, Judas and Philip. Similarly, in the overall composition of the work, Leonardo was treading new ground in artistic terms by dividing the twelve disciples into groups of three, and thus yet further heightening the tension in the already emotional atmosphere of the scene. These groups are not only an element in Leonardo's efforts to dramatize the scene, but are also connected to the location of this Last Supper. In the top section of the wall of the refectory with Leonardo's painting there are three lunettes, which in turn influence the rhythm of the groups of figures below: the disciples at the two outer ends of the table are beneath the two smaller arches, while the two inner groups and Christ himself are all beneath the central arch. The lunettes themselves display coats of arms surrounded by plants and heraldic ornament. In the centre is the coat of arms of the client, Ludovico Sforza combined with that of his wife Beatrice d'Este; on his right (the viewer's left) is the coat of arms of his first-born son Massimiliano and on his left that of his second-born son Francesco. Bearing in mind that Ludovico had had the adjoining Church of S. Maria delle Grazie altered specifically as a last resting place for his family, then Leonardo's Last Supper is not merely an outstanding example of artistic innovation and creativity, but also a dynastic statement by his client.
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