With a finite space, the supper room, Leonardo is able to precisely place objects in space using diminishing size and narrowing angle to draw the eye to the distance, although that distance is very close indeed, the rear wall. The three windows are no more than frames for what might well be pictures of the outside world, for all the detail of the exterior landscape they fail to show.
Leonardo's use of color in the Last Supper is in contrast to the solemnity of the event. Everyone knew that Jesus of Nazareth was a wanted man; he had already warned his followers that he would be arrested and might well leave them forever.
Yet, in Leonardo's painting, the group is attired in bright colors, and is engaged in animated conversation, not all of it solemn from the expressions on the faces. In setting the scene this way, Leonardo makes the point that these are very human men doing very human things, and there is very little hidden about their feelings or motives, the opposite of the case in the Mona Lisa, whose expression is inscrutable.
Despite the simple linear plane in which the action takes place, it is intricate, with the gestures of the figures creating a sort of rope, a rope one feels will change form at any moment. The undulations of the figure placement are subtle, and intriguing. They movement along the line of whispering men seems an invitation to eavesdrop.
The contrast between these two masterpieces could hardly be clearer. The Last Supper, for all its underlying emotional content, is much more rational in effect than the Mona Lisa. Leonardo's use of shades of primary colors in the Last Supper contrasts with his use of neutrals in the Mona Lisa. It is as if he wants to be clear, precise, convincing in the Last Supper, but secretive, amorphous and open to suggestion in the Mona Lisa. In fact, Leonardo has, in each case, used the proper techniques and devices to do that. His canvas is shallow in the foreground and muddy in the Mona Lisa; in the Last Supper, the foreground is deep, extending right up under the table that delineates the action, and is clear even...
Da Vinci and Michaelangelo During the Renaissance, artists evolved many of the techniques which are now employed in creating works of art. There are many great artists who came out of this historical time period and while they have somewhat similar techniques and similar subject matters, they all have unique attributes as well. In this time, one of the biggest differences between artists of the Renaissance and ones that came before
Leonardo Da Vinci The Comparison Theses of the Authors Each of the articles is similar yet dissimilar. They are similar in that they all discuss Leonardo da Vinci in some respect, but differ in the subjects and theses in their discussion. The two articles that are most similar in the questions asked (or thesis presented) would have to be the article written by Martin Kemp and the article written by Patricia Rubin. Both
Leonardo Da Vinci The first object of the painter is to make a flat plane appear as a body in relief and projecting from that plane." (Leonardo Da Vinci) The Italian philosopher, engineer, architect, mathematician, draftsman, sculptor, and painter - Leonardo Da Vinci - was a man greatly beyond his era. His intellect, conceivably more than that of any other contemporary personality, characterized the revitalization of humanist ideals. Leonardo's personal writings uncover
Last Supper Leonardo Divinci Analysis of "The Last Supper" Overview of Leonardo da Vinci Analysis of "The Last Supper" The selected piece of artwork of Leonardo da Vinci's and it is one of the most popular paintings that depict the Jesus Christ with his twelve disciples at the dinner table. This painting is briefly providing a clear picture of both history and religion due to which it has always been fascinated with its unique
The controversies around her smile and eyes have generated almost as much research and debate as the painting itself. Anyone who has seen Leonardo's Mona Lisa had the illusion that the Gioconda was staring at them irrespective of their angle. There have been numerous scientists who have attempted to deconstruct this particular aspect, and explain how human sight responds to Mona Lisa's eyes. For instance, Margaret Livingstone, a professor
In conclusion, Heinrich Wolfflin, an art critic of the early 1950's, points out that Leonardo's the Last Supper exhibits all of the classical elements of Western art and those of the High Renaissance. Also, the three major trends of 15th century painting, being monumentality and mathematically ordered space at the expense of movement and the freedom of movement at the expense of monumentality and controlled space, are all harmonized and
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now