Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper

“The Last Supper” is exemplary of the High Renaissance and the mastered work of Leonardo Da Vinci. The fresco in the church refectory (cafeteria) of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan was finished between 1495 and 1498. Although the subject matter of “The Last Supper” is not new, the way that Da Vinci depicts it at the height of the revelation of betrayal is original which allows Da Vinci to discover how to emotionally divulge each apostle’s reaction and personality. The naturalism in Da Vinci’s rendering of human emotion and responses speaks to the climax of the narrative and symbolism. Like most High Renaissance artist there was an emphasis on science and mathematics to create balance and harmony in artwork. Da Vinci is no different as the religious narrative displays his vast knowledge of mathematics and science. For example, the scientific or one-point linear perspective is seen through the use of orthogonal as inferred by the coffered ceiling and wall tapestries. This technique creates the appearance of depth in the two-dimensional painting. It is also used to reflect the newfound awareness of a person’s place in the world, using Christ as the vanishing point
Due to this Da Vinci seated all of the apostles on the opposite side of the table with Christ as to ask viewers to engage in the action of the painting. This fresco is Da Vinci’s own version by applying plaster onto existing plaster and then adding tempera, so that it would become one with the wall surface. He did this to improve the detail and quality, but this was unsuccessful as it began to peel away from the wall months later. This horizontal fresco is large, which shows the monumentality and ambitious undertaking this piece was. Stylistically this classifies as one of Da Vinci’s greatest piece of work using High Renaissance techniques and Classical Antiquity