Holy supper leonardo da vinci. The Last Supper - what is this event
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For the sake of the opportunity to look at it, millions of tourists strive to Milan, regardless of the season.
The original fresco is in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in the eponymous square in Milan. The church was built during the Renaissance. It was commissioned by the Dominican monks to the architect J. Solari. Fresco " The last supper"Was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Maria Sforzo, at whose court Leonardo da Vinci won the fame of a skilled painter. The artist fulfilled the received order in the refectory of the monastery in 1495-1497.
Damage and restorations
During its more than half a thousand years of existence, the fresco was repeatedly damaged. And by the Dominican monks themselves who cut off lower part images along with the feet of Jesus and the nearby apostles. And the troops of Napoleon, who turned the church into a stable and threw stones at the heads of the apostles. And the Allied bombs that exploded on the roof during World War II. After the damage caused, well-meaning restorers tried to repair the damage, but the result was not very good.
Already at the end of the 20th century, a lengthy restoration removed all previous unsuccessful restoration attempts and repaired the damage caused to the fresco. But despite this, today's "Last Supper" is just a shadow of the masterpiece created by the great painter.
Description
Until now, many art scholars believe « The Last Supper "by Leonardo da Vinci, the greatest work of world art. Even in da Vinci's era, the fresco was considered his best work. Its approximate dimensions are 880 by 460 cm. It was made on dry plaster using a thick layer of egg tempera. Due to the use of such a fragile material, the fresco began to collapse already somewhere in 20 years after its creation.
The painting depicts the moment when Jesus Christ at dinner informs his disciples that one of them, Judas, is sitting second in right hand from Christ, will betray him. In the painting, Judas with his left hand reaches for the same dish as Jesus, and in his right he squeezes a bag of silver. To obtain verisimilitude and accuracy, Leonardo observed for a long time the postures and facial expressions of his contemporaries in various situations. Most researchers of Leonardo da Vinci's work have come to the opinion that the ideal place to contemplate the picture is a distance of 9 meters from it at a height of 3.5 meters from the floor level.
The uniqueness of The Last Supper lies in the striking variety and richness of emotions of the characters depicted. No other painting on the theme of the Last Supper can even come close to comparing the uniqueness of the composition and subtle portrayal of the details of Leonardo's masterpiece. It could take three or four days, during which the master did not touch the future work of art.
And when he returned, he would stand for hours before the sketch, examining it and criticizing his work.
Thanks to this, each character is not only beautiful portrait, but also a clear type. Every detail is thought out and weighed repeatedly.
The most difficult thing for Leonardo when painting the picture was to find models for painting Good, embodied in the image of Christ, and Evil, embodied in the image of Judas. There is even a legend about how the ideal models for these images were found on great picture... Once the painter got to the performance church choir... And there, in the face of one of the young singing choirs, he saw beautiful image Jesus. He invited the boy to his studio and completed several sketches. Three years later, the main work on "The Last Supper" was almost finished, and Leonardo never found a suitable model for Judas. And the customer was in a hurry, demanding an early completion of the work. And now, having undertaken many days of searches, the artist saw a ragamuffin lying in a gutter. He was a young man, but he was drunk, ragged, and looked very decrepit. Deciding not to waste time on sketches, da Vinci asked to bring this man directly to the cathedral. The weak-willed body was dragged into the temple, and the master painted from him the sinfulness looking from his face.
When the work was over, the tramp came to his senses and cried out in fright when he saw the picture. It turned out that he had already seen her, three years ago. Then he was young and full of dreams, and some artist invited him to pose for the image of Christ. Later everything changed, he lost himself and went down in life.
Maybe this legend tells us that good and evil are two facets of the same coin. And in life everything depends on the moment at which they meet on our way.
Tickets, opening hours
Visitors to the church wishing to see the "Last Supper" can only go inside for inspection in groups of up to 25 people. Before entering everyone, in mandatory, must undergo a procedure for removing dirt from clothing using special devices.
But, despite this, the line of those wishing to see the fresco with their own eyes never runs out. During high season from April to November, tickets must be booked at least 4 months in advance.
Moreover, the reservation must be paid immediately. That is, you cannot pay later for what was ordered in advance. V winter time When the flow of tourists decreases a little, tickets can be booked 1-2 months before the visit.
The best way to buy tickets is on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Culture www.vivaticket.it, which is available in Italian and English, but in fact there are never tickets there. As of 2019, an adult ticket costs 12 euros + 3.5 euros tax.
How to buy tickets at the last moment
How to see the famous mural?
Having shoveled the entire Internet and analyzed dozens of intermediary sites, I can only recommend one reliable site for buying tickets online "in last moment» Is www.getyourguide.ru
We go to the Milan section and select tickets costing from 44 euros with an English-language excursion - such tickets are on sale in about a week or two.
If you need to see the Last Supper urgently, then choose the option for 68 euros with a guided tour of Milan.
For example, on August 18 in the evening I managed to book tickets for August 21, while on the official website the nearest free window is not earlier than December. The cost of 2 tickets with a group tour of Milan was 136 euros.
Opening hours of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie: from 8-15 to 19-00 with a break from 12-00 to 15-00. On pre-holiday and holidays, the church is open from 11-30 to 18-30. The weekend is January 1, May 1, December 25.
How to get there
You can get to Santa Maria delle Grazie:
- Tram 18 towards Magenta, Santa Maria delle Grazie stop
- Metro line M2, stop Conciliazione or Cadorna
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Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" anticipates new stage development Italian art- High Renaissance.
The illusory space visually continues the real space of the refectory. The planes of the side walls and ceiling going into the depths act as an illusory continuation of the walls and ceiling of the refectory, but do not completely coincide with them due to their somewhat forced spatial perspective. In addition, the table with the figures sitting behind it is located slightly above the level of the refectory floor, and the figures are not shown in full size, but slightly larger. Thus, the impression of complete optical unity of real and illusory spaces is eliminated, their interconnection becomes more complicated, losing their uniqueness. The sacred action is no longer confused with everyday and everyday affairs and appears to be more important and significant.
Even more striking is the impression of the extreme tension of the plot conflict, which the fresco of Leonardo leaves behind. It is achieved through a carefully thought-out composition of a picturesque story about a gospel event. The moment is shown when Jesus just uttered his words: “... one of you eating with Me will betray Me,” and therefore all compositional trajectories are drawn to his figure - not only the optical, but also the semantic center of the work. Lonely and isolated from the rest, additionally highlighted by the image of a window behind Christ's back, falling into the focus of the convergence of perspective lines, his figure acts as a sign of unshakable calmness and unshakable confidence in the correctness of the chosen path. Spatial “pauses” on either side of it are visually read as an image of a truly “deathly” silence that immediately followed his words, replaced by a discord of perplexed exclamations and in unison the sounding “isn't it me?”.
Each of the figures of the apostles represents certain type expression, with the help of the language of facial expressions and gestures, personifying bewilderment, anger, fear. To bring all this diversity together mental movements, Leonardo subjects the image to a rigid compositional discipline. It can be noted that the apostles are united in groups, of three in each, which is why, in opposition to each other, their figures receive additional expressiveness. With this principle of compositional grouping, the internal rhythm of the action is revealed with amazing clarity, moreover, it gets the opportunity to develop in time. In fact, in each of the groups a certain stage of comprehension of the words heard from the Teacher is presented. An explosion of emotions, the epicenter of which is in the center of the table, where Jesus is sitting, in the form of a diminishing echo, rolls to the ends of the table, from where, through the gestures of the apostles sitting on its ends, it returns to its starting point - the figure of Christ.
If fate has thrown you into Northern capital Italy, the fresco The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is definitely worth seeing. It is not for nothing that BlogoItaliano put it on the second line of the TOP-list. Another thing is to get tickets for visiting the Memorial almost impossible if you don't know where and when to look... But before we talk about tickets, let's pay a little attention to the Masterpiece itself.
Of all the works of Leonardo da Vinci that have survived to this day, a fresco Last Supper in Milan one of the most notable. And this is recognized even by those who are ready to tirelessly prove that its plot is absolutely inconsistent with the events described in the New Testament. The point, however, is not in the plot and not in the views of the artist, which he allegedly wanted to reflect in the drawing, painting the wall of the refectory of the monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie…
Leonardo da Vinci: the genius of incompleteness
How much do you know contemporary artists who would have been honored to work for the highest-ranking officials at the age of 30? The high mortality rate in the Middle Ages is not an excuse, since mostly babies died (if there were no epidemics), and at the age of 50-60 men did not at all look very old. Especially if they belonged to one of the 2 upper classes or chose the path of trade or craft.
Art in those years was also a craft - no better and no worse than others, and there was no shortage of craftsmen. Young, old, talented and not so much. Especially in Italy, where each has a little more big city had its own school of fine arts.
Self-propelled wooden carriage by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo, on the other hand, became famous by the age of 30 not at all as an artist, but as a mathematician and engineer. The era was restless: the Italian dukes went on short campaigns not with friendly visits. As a result, the demand for high-quality fortifications and armor-piercing equipment was decent, and in 1482 Leonardo was invited to Milan.
However, all city fortifications, as well as equestrian statue father of the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, were never erected. Remained unfinished and almost all picturesque canvases commissioned by the Duke of Leonardo and his entourage. Why?
The last supper of Leonardo da Vinci: from design to creation
Leonardo interested new riddle... He decided to thoroughly investigate the patterns aerial perspective, according to which the further the object is, the more indistinguishable its true color becomes. As before, this riddle of Leonardo was envisioned by nature itself. The artist creates a series of sketches and several paintings in which he first appears sfumato- light haze, indistinct contours, soft shadow that soon became characteristic feature his paintings.
Leonardo was also worried about the organization of space on the canvas - linear perspective, and the problem of the "golden section". It was then (in 1490) that famous drawing"Vitruvian Man", presenting accurate calculations of body proportions.
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci
But the opportunity to move from theory to practice in three directions immediately presented itself only in 1494. It is this date that most researchers call as the starting date: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, which until then existed only in the artist's imagination, began to take shape on the monastery wall. The size of the fresco is 460 × 880 cm.
The work continued until 1498. Trying to make the figures more voluminous, and, therefore, more natural, Leonardo, carried away by the idea of transferring the principles of aerial perspective on a static surface, paints the refectory not with tempera on wet plaster, as was customary, but with oil paints on ordinary, dry ones.
But this is nothing more than an experiment, albeit a generously paid one. At the same time, the plot is secondary for the artist. The main thing is to recreate a harmonious space using precise calculations. “Believe harmony with algebra,” as another genius would write several hundred years later.
Milan monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie
According to legend, the prior of the monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie constantly urged Leonardo, who, in revenge, made the features of Judas Iscariot resemble the abbot. It is possible that this is just a legend: the Dominicans (and the monastery was precisely Dominican) were famous for their artists and knew the value of this work - both in material and temporal terms.
The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci: Victory and Defeat of a Genius
The experiment was only partially successful for Leonardo: oil paints he soon had to touch up with the same tempera. However, thanks to the genius of the master, the palette of shades, which makes the figures of the Savior and his disciples as natural as possible at a small distance, has remained unchanged.
But most of all, the artist's contemporaries were struck by the illusion huge space behind those sitting at the table, which was involuntarily transferred to the real space, absorbing its features and making the observers feel literally inside the fresco.
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
The power of the impact of this work on the viewer is such that until now even serious researchers, studying it, do not take into account what lies literally on the surface, and delve into symbolism and plot. Although the overwhelming effect of the Last Supper is just the result of tremendous work of the mind and cold calculation, a kind of equation, based, nevertheless, on the strict laws of nature, which Leonardo followed all his life. Only? Everyone should find the answer to this question for himself.
How to see the Last Supper fresco
Not a single one, even the highest quality reproduction, will be able to convey the full power of Leonardo's genius, who solved and decided one of the most complex riddles nature by creating a fresco Last Supper in Milan... The fresco still adorns one of the walls of the refectory in Santa Maria delle Grazie at: Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2 | Corso Magenta, 20123 Milan, Italy (Centro Storico).
The church is open for visits daily from 7:30 to 19:00 (break from 12:00 to 15:00). On the pre-holiday and holidays Santa Maria delle Grazie accepts guests from 11-30 to 18-30.
Access to the frescoed area is strictly limited. And first, you will have to buy tickets for viewing the Last Supper, allowing you to be in the refectory for 15 minutes.
By the way, everything is not easy with them: being one of the main attractions of Milan, the Last Supper is insanely popular among city guests. Tickets for it are sold out 2 months in advance, so the chances of watching the Supper "at a swoop" are very illusory. Tickets are not sold by hand either, which is strictly monitored by the security service.
Thus, for those who are just preparing for a trip to Italy and want to see the Last Supper with their own eyes, there is only one acceptable option - online booking.
Where to buy tickets for the Last Supper
The Last Supper has always been in crazy demand in Milan, but when we first wrote this article [in 2013], tickets were still a little easier. Now [in 2018], revising available ways to buy tickets, I must admit that things got even more complicated.
The limited number of tickets on sale has led many operators to inflate prices. It often goes so far that travelers are willing to shell out up to $ 100 per ticket just to see the mural. Nevertheless, there are still several ways to get to the Last Supper for adequate money.
Method 1: Weekend in Italy
The site where you can search for tickets without overpaying for the excursion is Weekend in Italy. Tickets can be found here quite often, because the site is the main supplier for many foreign agencies, but there are some peculiarities.
Tickets for the Last Supper are only available here in a bundle with another purchase. For example, you can combine your visit to the Supper with a ticket to the Galleria Brera, Leonardo's Atlantean Codex at the Ambrosian Library, or take the Milano Card for 24 hours. If you select only the Last Supper, then the system simply will not let you go to the stage of buying a ticket.
As these landmarks are some of the most iconic in Milan, they are great way make an interesting plan for the whole day at once.
By the way, the Last Supper is far from the only attraction in Italy, tickets for which should be booked in advance. In more detail about such places, we already recommend the article to everyone who wants to "take" from their vacation in Italy to the maximum.
Method 2: Guided tour with a visit to the Last Supper
Another way to watch The Last Supper is on an English-language guided tour. Many foreigners do this, and not only Russian speakers. Because it is often much easier and cheaper to go on an excursion [albeit on English language] rather than buying tickets from dealers at inadequately overpriced prices.
Look detailed description excursions and place an order for participation on this page.
What to do if there are no tickets for the required date (addition of 2017)
When BlogoItaliano found out about such a critical situation with tickets, we contacted our familiar guide Oksana in Milan (a review about her) and asked if something could be done so that BlogoItaliano readers could still get to watch Frexies even with such a rush on tickets ...
AND Oksana encouraged…
It turns out that she periodically helps travelers, ordering an excursion from her“In the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci”, get to see the fresco. Moreover, it is often possible to get tickets even at the box office price. According to Oksana, she does not give a 100% guarantee of visiting the fresco, but for long years practice she had only one case when tourists could not get inside.
If you were attentive, you probably noticed that it comes only about tickets in addition to the excursion... But it's three o'clock excursion in Russian with one of the most sought after tour guides in Milan.
By the way, in addition to the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci, the excursion also includes a visit to another masterpiece of the master in the Sforzesco castle and his painting "Portrait of a Musician" in the Ambrosian Gallery. Well, for the most staunch admirers of the genius, Oksana includes in the excursion the Museum dedicated to Leonardo's inventions.
You can contact Oksana to clarify the details of the excursion from her by e-mail or through the form feedback below.
Leonardo da Vinci- the most mysterious and unexplored person of the past years. Someone ascribes God's gift to him and canonize him as a saint, someone, on the contrary, considers him an atheist who sold his soul to the devil. But the genius of the great Italian is undeniable, because everything that the hand of the great painter and engineer ever touched was instantly filled with hidden meaning. Today we will talk about famous work "The Last Supper" and the many secrets it hides.
Location and history of creation:
Famous fresco is in the church Santa Maria delle Grazie located in the eponymous square of Milan. Or rather, on one of the walls of the refectory. According to historians, the artist specially depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were at that time in the church. By this he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer to people than it seems.
The painter received an order to write a work from his patron, the Duke of Milan. Ludovico Sforza in 1495. The ruler was famous for his dissolute life and with young years was surrounded by young bacchantes. The situation was not changed at all by the presence of a beautiful and modest wife in the duke. Beatrice d'Este, who sincerely loved her husband and, due to her meek disposition, could not contradict his way of life. I must admit that Ludovico Sforza he sincerely honored his wife and was in his own way attached to her. But the dissolute duke felt the true power of love only at the moment of the sudden death of his wife. The man's grief was so great that he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when I came out, the first thing I ordered was Leonardo da Vinci a fresco, which his late wife once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.
The work was completed in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 cm.Many connoisseurs of the artist's work agreed that the best "The Last Supper" can be seen if you step back 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. Moreover, there is something to see. Already during the life of the author, the fresco was considered his the best piece... Although, it would be wrong to call the painting a fresco. The fact is that Leonardo da Vinci I wrote the work not on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, in order to be able to edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempra to the wall, which later did a disservice, beginning to deteriorate just 20 years after painting. But more on that later.
The idea of the work:
"The Last Supper" depicts the last Easter dinner of Jesus Christ with the disciples-apostles, held in Jerusalem on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to the scriptures, Jesus said during the meal that one of the apostles would betray him. Leonardo da Vinci tried to portray the reaction of each of the disciples to the prophetic phrase of the Teacher. To do this, he walked around the city, spoke with common people, made them laugh, upset, encouraged. And he himself watched the emotions on their faces. The author's goal was to portray the famous dinner from a purely human point of view. That is why he depicted all those present in a row and did not draw a halo over his head to anyone (as other artists liked to do).
So we got to the most interesting part of the article: the secrets and features hidden in the work of the great author.
1. According to historians, the most difficult thing is Leonardo da Vinci was given the writing of two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist tried to make them the embodiment of good and evil, so for a long time he could not find suitable models... Once an Italian saw in the church choir a young singer - so spiritualized and pure that there was no doubt: here he is - the prototype of Jesus for him "The Last Supper"... But, despite the fact that the image of the Teacher was painted, Leonardo da Vinci corrected it for a long time, considering it not perfect enough.
The last unwritten character in the picture was Judas. The artist wandered for hours through the most sinister places, looking for a model for painting among the degraded people. And now, almost 3 years later, he was lucky. In a ditch, there was an absolutely downcast type in a state of strong alcoholic intoxication. The artist ordered to bring him to the workshop. The man almost did not stay on his feet and did not understand where he was. However, after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. To the bewilderment of the author, the man replied that three years ago he was completely different, led a correct lifestyle and sang in the church choir. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him. So, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were copied from the same person in different periods his life. This once again underlines the fact that good and evil go so close that sometimes the line between them is imperceptible.
By the way, during work Leonardo da Vinci distracted by the abbot of the monastery, who constantly rushed the artist and argued that he should paint a picture for days, and not stand in front of it in thought. Once the painter could not resist and promised the abbot to write off Judas from him if he did not stop interfering in creative process.
2. The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of the disciple, located on the right hand of Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not the mistress of Jesus, as is commonly believed, but his lawful wife. This fact is confirmed by the letter "M", which is formed by the contours of the bodies of the pair. Allegedly, she means the word "Matrimonio", which in translation means "marriage." Some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature is visible on the painting. Leonardo da Vinci- the letter "V". The first statement is supported by the mention that Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Christ and wiped them with her hair. According to tradition, only a legal wife could do this. Moreover, it is believed that the woman was pregnant at the time of her husband's execution and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, who laid the foundation for the Merovingian dynasty.
3. Some scholars argue that the unusual arrangement of students in the picture is not accidental. Say, Leonardo da Vinci placed people by ... zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn, and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.
4. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the bombing during the Second World War, a shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything, except for the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Although, the people themselves not only did not take care of the work, but also acted with it in a truly barbaric way. In 1500, a flood in the church caused irreparable damage to the painting. But instead of restoring the masterpiece, the monks in 1566 did in the wall with the image "The Last Supper" the door that "cut off" the characters' legs. A little later, the Milanese coat of arms was hung over the head of the Savior. And at the end of the 17th century, a stable was made from the refectory. The already dilapidated fresco was covered with manure, and the French competed with each other: who would hit the head of one of the apostles with a brick. However, there were "The Last Supper" and fans. The French king Francis I was so impressed with the work that he seriously thought about how to transport it to his home.
5. No less interesting are the reflections of historians about the food depicted on the table. For example, near Judas Leonardo da Vinci depicted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered bad luck) as well as an empty plate. But the biggest subject of controversy is still the fish in the picture. Contemporaries still cannot agree on what is painted on the fresco - herring or eel. Scientists believe that this ambiguity is not accidental. The artist specially encrypted in the painting hidden meaning... The fact is that in Italian "eel" is pronounced like "aringa". We add one more letter, we get a completely different word - "arringa" (instruction). At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means in translation "one who denies religion." For an atheist artist, the second interpretation is closer.
As you can see, a single picture contains many secrets and innuendos, over the disclosure of which more than one generation has been struggling. Many of them will remain unsolved. And contemporaries will only have to speculate and the great Italian in paints, marble, sand, trying to prolong the life of the fresco.
For many art critics and historians, "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci is greatest work... This 15 x 29 ft fresco was created between 1495-1497. The artist painted it on the wall of the refectory in the Milan monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. Even in the era when Leonardo himself lived, this work was considered the best and most famous. According to written evidence, the painting began to deteriorate in the first twenty years of its existence. " The last supper Da Vinci was painted in a large layer of egg tempera. Under the paint was a rough compositional sketch in red. The customer for the fresco was Lodovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan.
"The Last Supper" is a picture that captures the moment when Jesus Christ announced to his disciples that one of them would betray him. The personalities of the apostles have repeatedly become the subject of controversy, but judging by the inscriptions on the copy of the painting stored in Lugano, from left to right these are: Bartholomew, the younger Jacob, Andrew, Judas, Peter, John, Thomas, the elder Jacob, Philip, Matthew, Thaddeus, Simon Zealot. Art critics believe that the composition should be perceived as an interpretation of communion, because with both hands Christ points to the table with bread and wine.
Unlike other similar paintings, "The Last Supper" shows the amazing variety of emotions of the characters evoked by the message of Jesus. No other creation based on the same plot can even come close to Da Vinci's masterpiece. What secrets did the famous artist encrypt in his work?
The Discovery of the Knights Templar authors Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince claim that The Last Supper is filled with encrypted symbols. First, to the right of Jesus (for the viewer to the left), in their opinion, it is not John at all who is sitting, but some woman in a garment that contrasts with the garment of Christ. The space between them resembles the letter "V", while the shapes themselves form the letter "M". Secondly, they believe that next to the image of Peter in the picture, you can see a certain hand with a clenched knife, which cannot be attributed to any of the characters. Thirdly, depicted to the left of Jesus (for the viewer to the right) Thomas with a raised finger turns to Christ, and this, the authors believe, is a gesture characteristic of Finally, fourthly, there is a hypothesis according to which Thaddeus, sitting with his back to Jesus, - this is a self-portrait of da Vinci himself.
Let's figure it out in order. Indeed, if you look closely at the picture, you can see that the character sitting to the right of Christ (for the viewer to the left) has feminine features. And do the letters "V" and "M", formed by the contours of the bodies, carry any symbolic meaning? Prince and Picknett argue that this placement of the figures hints that the feminine character is Mary Magdalene and not John at all. In this case, the letter "V" symbolizes feminine... And "M" just means the name - Mary Magdalene.
As for the hand, deprived of the body, upon careful examination, it is still clear that it belongs to Peter, he just twisted it, which explains the unusual position. There is nothing special to say about Thomas, who raised him up like John the Baptist. Disputes on this score can go on for a long time, and you can decide for yourself whether or not you agree with such an assumption. as noted by Prince and Picknett, it does bear some similarities with Leonardo da Vinci himself. In general, in many of the artist's paintings dedicated to Christ or the Holy Family, you can see the same detail: at least one of the figures is turned with its back to the main character.
The Last Supper was recently restored, which made it possible to learn a lot of interesting things about it. But true meaning of forgotten symbols and secret messages is still unclear, so all new assumptions and guesses are being born. Who knows, maybe someday we will be able to learn at least a little about the plans of the great master.