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Essay on Last Supper Elements and Principles of Design

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Leonardo da Vinci was a talented artist of his time. He was publicly known for incorporating the skills of art and science. He had many important works of art such as the Mona Lisa, the study of human proportions according to Vitruvius, The Last Supper and many more. The Last Supper was one of his famous pieces, which to this day is still trying to be restored through millions of dollars and hours of hard work.

Leonardo da Vinci was raised in the small town of Vinci. His mother was a peasant woman named Piero da Vinci. His father who was a lawyer raised him. At the young age of 15 he began to apprentice under Andrea del Verocchio. In 1482 Leonardo left for Milan and became an official artist for the Duke. He had several sketches …show more content…

Within the work, each disciple reacts to Christ's comment the same, puzzled, confused and shocked. One is drinking and has his head turned to the speaker. Another twists his finger while others make a mouth of astonishment. St. Andrew has his shoulders shrugged in dismay while St. Philip rises from his seat and catches the eye because his head is a little higher than the rest. St. James is staring down in absolute shock to the news that he just heard. However, Judas knows that he is the one and is seen with his bag of silver, his payment for being a traitor. His body is arched away from Christ. He reaction is different from the other apostles; he has a distant expression on his face. Judas has a darker value than the others. The objects that Judas holds in his hand, a knife and his moneybag, symbolize pure evil. Leonardo places them in a large banquet hall. All of the disciples are leaning towards and facing Christ, except Judas who is shamefully leaning away. In many other works on the Last Supper, Judas is seen on the other side of the table because he is not worthy of sitting on the same side as Christ. Leonardo did this different by putting him on the side with Christ. The effect from this is strong, and shows how much more of a traitor Judas is towards Christ.

The Last Supper is a Fresco, which is when colors are applied to a wet plaster, which bonds the image with the painting surface. However, Leonardo wanted to try

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