Editing The Last Supper (Leonardo) (section)

== Painting ==
=== Commission and creation ===
''The Last Supper'' measures {{convert|460|×|880|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} and covers an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan|Santa Maria delle Grazie]] in Milan, Italy. The theme was a traditional one for [[refectory|refectories]], although the room was not a refectory at the time that Leonardo painted it. The main church building was still under construction while Leonardo was composing the painting. Leonardo's patron, [[Ludovico Sforza]], planned that the church should be remodeled as a family mausoleum. To this end, changes were made, perhaps to plans by [[Donato Bramante]]. These plans were not fully carried out, and a smaller mortuary chapel was constructed, adjacent to the cloister.<ref name=Timeout>{{cite web |title=Santa Maria delle Grazie & The Last Supper |work=Time Out |url=http://www.timeout.com/milan/attractions/venue/1:7329/santa-maria-delle-grazie-the-last-supper |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329015213/http://www.timeout.com/milan/attractions/venue/1:7329/santa-maria-delle-grazie-the-last-supper |archive-date=29 March 2013 |access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref> The painting was commissioned by Sforza to decorate the wall of the mausoleum. The [[lunette]]s above the main painting, formed by the triple arched ceiling of the refectory, are painted with [[House of Sforza|Sforza]] [[Coat of arms|coats-of-arms]]. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered by the ''Crucifixion'' fresco by [[Giovanni Donato da Montorfano]], to which Leonardo added figures of the Sforza family in [[tempera]]; these figures have deteriorated in much the same way as has ''The Last Supper''.<ref name=King2012>{{cite book |last=King |first=Ross |title=Leonardo and the Last Supper |page=271 |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=New York |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-62040-308-2}}</ref>

Leonardo worked on ''The Last Supper'' from about 1495 to 1498, but he did not work continuously. The beginning date is not certain, as the archives of the convent for the period have been destroyed. A document dated 1497 indicates that the painting was nearly completed at that date.<ref>Kenneth Clark. ''Leonardo da Vinci'', Penguin Books 1939, 1993, p. 144.</ref> A prior from the monastery reportedly complained to Leonardo about its delay. Leonardo wrote to the head of the monastery, explaining he had been struggling to find the perfect villainous face for Judas, and that if he could not find a face corresponding with what he had in mind, he would use the features of the prior who had complained.<ref name=Lair>{{cite web |title=The Last Supper |publisher=lairweb.org.nz |url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/supper.html |access-date=21 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=Steel2003>{{cite episode |title=DaVinci |series=The Mark Steel Lectures |network=[[BBC]] |url=http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/ou-on-the-bbc-mark-steel-lectures-da-vinci-the-lecture |publisher=The Open University |airdate=7 October 2003 |series-no=2 |number=2 |access-date=21 December 2012 |archive-date=17 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917110707/http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/ou-on-the-bbc-mark-steel-lectures-da-vinci-the-lecture |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1557, [[Gian Paolo Lomazzo]] wrote that Leonardo's friend [[Bernardo Zenale]] advised him to leave Christ's face unfinished, arguing that "it would be impossible to imagine faces lovelier or gentler than those of [[James the Great]]er or [[James the Less]]." Leonardo apparently took the advice.<ref name=Durant2001>{{Cite book |last=Durant |first=Will |author-link=Will Durant |title=Heroes of History: A Brief History of Civilization from Ancient Times to the Dawn of the Modern Age |page=206 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |year=2001 |oclc=869434122 |isbn=978-0-7432-2612-7 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/869434122}}</ref>

<gallery widths="350" heights="200">
File:Donato Montorfano Crocifissione di Santa Maria delle Grazie Milano.jpg|''Crucifixion'' by [[Giovanni Donato da Montorfano]], 1495, opposite Leonardo's ''Last Supper''
File:"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci - Joy of Museums.jpg|The painting as it appears on the refectory wall
File:Santa Maria delle Grazie with Leonardo's The Last Supper.jpg|alt=The refectory with the last supper on the far wall|The refectory
</gallery>

=== Medium ===
Leonardo, as a painter, favoured [[oil painting]], a medium which allows the artist to work slowly and make changes with ease. [[Fresco]] painting does not facilitate either of these objectives. Leonardo also sought a greater luminosity and intensity of light and shade ([[chiaroscuro]]) than could be achieved with fresco,<ref name=smart>{{cite web |url=http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html |title=Leonardo's Last Supper |website=Smart history presented by the Khan Academy |access-date=25 February 2014 |archive-date=15 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215025349/http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> in which the water-soluble colours are painted onto wet [[plaster]], laid freshly each day in sections. Rather than using the proven method of painting on walls, Leonardo painted ''The Last Supper'' in tempera, the medium generally used for [[panel painting]]. The painting is on a stone wall sealed with a double layer of [[gesso]], pitch, and mastic.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=83}} Then he added an undercoat of [[white lead]] to enhance the brightness of the tempera that was applied on top. This was a method that had been described previously by [[Cennino Cennini]] in the 14th century. However, Cennini described the technique as being more risky than fresco painting, and recommended the use of painting in a more superficial medium for the final touches only.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hellomilano.it/hm/sights/the-last-supper/ |title=The Last Supper |website=The Last Supper |access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>

=== Subject ===
<imagemap>
File:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg|thumb|640px|center|alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci – Clickable Image|''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci <small>''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''</small>

poly 550 2550 750 2400 1150 2300 1150 2150 1200 2075 1500 2125 1525 2300 1350 2800 1450 3000 1700 3300 1300 3475 650 3500 550 3300 450 3000 [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]]
poly 1575 2300 1625 2150 1900 2150 1925 2500 1875 2600 1800 2750 1600 3250 1425 3100 1400 2800 1375 2600 [[James the Less]]
poly 1960 2150 2200 2150 2350 2500 2450 2575 2375 2725 2375 2900 2225 3100 2225 3225 1600 3225 1825 2700 1975 2450 1925 2300 [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]]
poly 2450 2575 2775 2500 2700 2650 2800 2700 2600 3000 2600 3250 2300 3250 2200 3200 2300 3000 [[Saint Peter|Peter]]
poly 2750 2500 2950 2400 3125 2600 3175 2700 3300 2850 3700 3200 3750 3200 3650 3350 3400 3200 3000 3350 2600 3325 2750 2800 2900 2700 2700 2650 [[Judas Iscariot|Judas]]
poly 3000 2350 3300 2350 3350 2660 3560 2600 3565 2690 3250 2800 3125 2575 [[Saint Peter|Peter]]
poly 3332 2338 3528 2240 4284 3024 4074 3332 3864 3290 3780 3150 3668 3192 3598 3024 3374 2870 3388 2772 3542 2800 3668 2702 3542 2590 3430 2604 3350 2600 3300 2500 [[John the Apostle|John]]
poly 4775 2184 4915 2128 5055 2212 5083 2352 5111 2464 5181 2604 5307 2744 5573 3052 5615 3192 5657 3290 5573 3402 5461 3332 5335 3248 4495 3248 4439 3388 4243 3388 4075 3360 4173 3136 4327 3010 4509 2730 4663 2520 4733 2394 [[Jesus]]
poly 5900 2100 5900 2150 5800 2400 5800 2500 5675 2589 5480 2671 5438 2507 5425 2301 5589 2452 5630 2301 5650 2100 [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]]
poly 5918 2150 6041 2109 6137 2246 6192 2411 6110 2589 6110 2726 6192 2822 6302 2740 6589 3109 5658 3178 5575 2918 5300 2698 5233 2589 5274 2438 5370 2507 5521 2685 5617 2671 5712 2575 5822 2507 5808 2287 5822 2175 [[James the Great]]
poly 6137 2013 6439 2013 6863 2260 7110 2515 6726 2675 6507 2548 6425 2630 6356 2753 6548 2849 6699 2781 7082 2794 7178 3109 6699 3178 6548 2986 6397 2835 6165 2775 6110 2589 6233 2438 6302 2383 6151 2287 6096 2164 [[Philip the Apostle|Philip]]
poly 7635 2123 7800 2013 8000 2055 8025 2287 7950 2438 8000 2698 8055 2918 7959 3164 7233 3164 7124 2972 7124 2794 6548 2794 6384 2781 6384 2671 6493 2575 6750 2650 7075 2550 7219 2400 7625 2300 [[Matthew the Apostle|Matthew]]
poly 8325 2096 8600 2109 8635 2493 8615 2726 8439 2781 8274 2740 8125 2835 8151 2931 8400 2975 8411 3068 8589 3041 8617 3205 7987 3260 8124 3027 7987 2644 7904 2493 7959 2425 8096 2356 [[Jude the Apostle|Jude]]
poly 8800 2150 8900 2125 9055 2150 9125 2397 9400 2475 9550 2931 9625 3301 9151 3397 8535 3219 8726 3014 8466 3068 8411 2918 8178 2931 8124 2835 8329 2753 8535 2794 8726 2603 8725 2342 [[Simon the Zealot|Simon]]
</imagemap>

''The Last Supper'' portrays the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. The apostles were identified by their names, using an unsigned, mid-sixteenth-century fresco copy of Leonardo's Cenacolo.<ref>{{cite book |last=Steinberg |first=Leo |title=Leonardo's Incessant 'Last Supper' |location=New York |publisher=Zone Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-890951-18-4 |page=75}}</ref> Before this, only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus had been positively identified. From left to right, according to the apostles' heads:
* [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]], [[James, son of Alphaeus]], and [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]] form a group of three; all are surprised.
* [[Judas Iscariot]], [[Saint Peter|Peter]], and [[John the Apostle|John]] form another group of three. Judas is wearing red, blue, and green and is in shadow, looking withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role as a treasurer.<ref name="Gospel">Cfr. {{bibleverse|Matthew|26:15|NKJV}} and {{bibleverse|John|12:6; 13:29|NKJV}}.</ref> He is also tipping over the salt cellar, which may be related to the near-Eastern expression to "betray the salt" meaning to betray one's master. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table and his head is also vertically the lowest of anyone in the painting. Peter wears an expression of anger and appears to be holding a knife, foreshadowing his violent reaction in [[Gethsemane]] during the [[arrest of Jesus]]. Peter is leaning towards John and touching him on the shoulder, in reference to John's Gospel where he signals the "beloved disciple" to ask Jesus who is to betray him.{{efn|{{bibleverse|John|13:23–24}}}} The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon and lean towards Peter.
* [[Jesus]]
* [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]], [[James the Greater]], and [[Philip the Apostle|Philip]] are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset; the raised index finger foreshadows his [[Doubting Thomas|incredulity]] of the Resurrection. James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation.
* [[Matthew the Apostle|Matthew]], [[Jude the Apostle|Jude Thaddeus]], and [[Simon the Zealot]] are the final group of three. Both Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.

{{multiple image
 | align     = right
 | caption_align = center
 | direction = horizontal
 | header_align = center
 | header    = 
 | image1    = Leonardo, testa di cristo, 1494 circa, pinacoteca di brera.jpg
 | width1    = 150
 | alt1      = 
 | caption1  = A study of the [[Head of Christ (Leonardo)|head of Christ]] by Leonardo
 | image2    = Leonardo da vinci, Study for the Last Supper 2.jpg
 | width2    = 150
 | alt2      = 
 | caption2  = [[Silverpoint]] study of an apostle, most likely [[Saint Peter]]{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=86}}
 }}

In common with other depictions of the Last Supper from this period, Leonardo seats the diners on one side of the table, so that none of them has his back to the viewer. The tablecloth is white with blue stripes, which are colours commonly associated with the [[Tekhelet in Judaism|Jewish people]]. This is the painting's only overt reference to the ethnicity of Jesus and his disciples. Most previous depictions excluded Judas by placing him alone on the opposite side of the table from the other eleven disciples and Jesus, or placing halos around all the disciples except Judas.
Leonardo instead has Judas lean back into shadow. Jesus is predicting that his betrayer will take the bread at the same time he does to Thomas and James the Greater to his left, who react in horror as Jesus points with his left hand to a piece of bread before them. Distracted by the conversation between John and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece of bread not noticing Jesus too stretching out with his right hand towards it (Matthew 26: 23). The angles and lighting draw attention to Jesus, whose [[Turning the other cheek|turned right cheek]] is located at the [[vanishing point]] for all perspective lines.<ref name="DLDV">White, Susan D. (2006). ''Draw Like Da Vinci''. London: Cassell Illustrated, p. 132. {{ISBN|978-1844034444}}.</ref> In addition, the painting demonstrated Leonardo's masterful use of perspective as it "draws our attention to the face of Christ at the center of the composition, and Christ's face, through his down-turned gaze, directs our focus along the diagonal of his left arm to his hand and therefore, the bread."<ref name=King2012p187 />

Leonardo reportedly used the likenesses of people in and around Milan as inspiration for the painting's figures. The convent's prior complained to Sforza of Leonardo's "laziness" as he wandered the streets to find a criminal to base Judas on. Leonardo responded that if he could find no one else, the prior would make a suitable model.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=81}}
While the painting was being executed, Leonardo's friend, the mathematician [[Luca Pacioli]], called it "a symbol of man's burning desire for salvation".{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=82}}