Last Supper Description Painting. Interesting facts about the picture "The Last Supper

"The Last Supper" Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous images of the latest meal of Jesus Christ with his students. He began working on it in 1495 or 1496, and finished in 1498th. This masterpiece of revival times praise, study and copy for more than 500 years, and the fresco itself is still on the wall of the Santa Maria delle Grazie Monastery in Milan. Edition Business Insider talked about her with the historian and the author of the book "Leonardo da Vinci and the" Last Supper "Ross King.

At one time the fresco was very popular

Despite the fact that today yes Vinci know as the author of various inventions, manuscripts, drawings and sketches, it was the "Last Supper" that provided him with fame even in life. According to King, this image immediately became very popular in Europe. "It was the most copied picture of the next century. There was not only paint, but also marble, wax and ceramics. Everyone wanted to have its own version. Leonardo finally created the work that was so dreamed of and who brought him fame, "he said.

The composition is based on the ruler of the third. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The fresco shows the reaction of the apostles for the words of Jesus: "And stinking tell you that one of you betray me. " King noted that yes Vinci, like no one else, gave tribute to this episode. "He grouped 13 figures in the image in such a way that everyone stands out for his gestures, but did not distract attention from the overall effect," the historian added.Each of the figures turned out to be unique and memorable, and all through detail.

Fresco miraculously managed to survive

"The Last Supper" survived bombing, dampness and several centuries of environmental damage. To the question why this image of the XV century and today is so honored, King replies that its safety is almost a miracle. "A hundred years ago, she was considered lost forever. And after the recent restoration, we can appreciate her beauty. Even despite some damage, it is a wonderful picture, "he added.

Several times "The Last Supper" was on the verge of destruction

In the history of the frescoes there were a lot of dangers. When King Louis XII invaded Milan in 1499, he intended to cut off the image from the wall of the cathedral and pick it up with him. By the middle of the XVI century, the fresco was considered completely destroyed due to moisture and stratification of paint.

In 1796, the French once again encroached. This time in the face of the French revolution. Then the troops used the refectory monastery as their base and expressed their anti-car thoughts opposite the image.

However, this is not all bad in his history. The authorities of the city used this room to hold prisoners. In the XIX century, some people with good intentions tried to renovate the fresco, but their attempt was hardly ended with the fact that the picture was broken into two parts. However, the most dramatic incident occurred on August 15, 1943, when the allied troops bombed the building. And although most of the church turned into a pile of the wreckage, the "Last Supper" remained unharmed.

It all started differently

Da Vinci began work on the fresco in a very inappropriate time. Just a year before the start of the project Louis XII began the first Italian war. "It was a terrible tragedy for Italy, the beginning of decades of occupation and struggle. For the artist, these events meant a loss of an order, which he worked for about 10 years, - a huge bronze rider on horseback, "King says.

In those days, bronze was collected and interpret into weapons. Yes Vinci not only lost money due to war, but also possible fame and reputation in creative circles, which he wanted so much. In terms of compensation, he received an order for the "Last Supper", although it seemed to him not very good replacement.

Yes Vinci seemed that he would never create a masterpiece

"Now Leonardo is considered to be a genius. But he had his disappointment and failures. In 1499 he was 42 years old. Then many contemporaries believed that he wasted wondered his potential. He could not complete several orders, as a result of which people began to consider the artist unreliable, "the historian comments. One of the poets mocked yes Vinci due to the fact that in 10 years he hardly finished one picture. Therefore, he really wanted to create something that would bring him fame and reputation among future generations. He managed to get it all after the "Secret Supper".

Yes Vinci created the fresco on top of his early works

So, one of the apostles reminds one of his early works. Yes Vinci has always been in finding interesting persons who could be captured. According to King, one of them can be found in the image Jacob Zeyadeeva.

"He spreads his arms and with open mouth looks at bread and wine. Previously there was a beautiful drawing with a red chalk, created 5 years before. A similar posture indicates that there was a musician playing on the Apostle site playing on the string instrument. Leonardo very much loved music and made a similar sketch. After 10 years he used it for the Jacob Figure, "continues King.

Despite the common assumption, Mary Magdalene in the image is most likely no

For many years, there were assumptions that Maria Magdalene was depicted to the right of Jesus, and not John theologian. However, King believes that it is not. "John theologian was the youngest apostle, which was always depicted behind Jesus - without a beard and slightly androgynous. Lenonardo adhered to this description, because it was such a man who was the ideal of beauty, which constantly arose in his work, "King notes.

According to the historian, Maria Magdalene really sometimes appeared in some paintings describing a secret evening. For example, the Italian artist Fra Beato Angeliko on one of the frescoes in the monastery of San Marco in Florence shows her preparation for communion along with other apostles. Therefore, there is nothing surprising or strange in its appearances in such pictures. However, in this case, it is not necessary to search for its image.

Like other hidden characters

"I am suspected about the idea of \u200b\u200bhidden messages and codes in the pictures of the Renaissance. They have many things that we cannot understand or evaluate after 500 years, for example, gestures of the apostles. Each of them may have its meaning, but we will never know it, "says King.

He also advises not to relate too seriously to the theories of the conspiracy in the novels of Dan Brown. In his opinion, yes Vinci only wanted to transfer emotions and drama, and not some secret characters. This is an obsessive idea of \u200b\u200bour century, not it.

However, on the fresco there are several references to the life of the artist

You can forget about hidden symbols and encrypted messages, but this does not mean that there are no interesting details on the fresco. King believes that the images of the apostles are in many ways remind of friends da Vinci and his contemporaries, and the fresco can partly be considered an image of the environment of Lodovico Sforgetz - the duke of Milan and the Customer. In addition, tapestries on the fresco resemble tapestries in its residence.

On the fresco, Da Vinci depicted Jesus Christ Vegetarian

Bread and wine during a secret evening have a special meaning for Christians. However, on the fresco, Da Vinci added a few details that today may seem strange - pieces of eel on the grill. The artist himself was a vegetarian, so I added it in my picture.

"The Last Supper" - APGETY OF Creativity of one of the most prominent artists in the world

"The Last Supper" is one of the prominent works of the Renaissance era. And one of the most mysterious. Today, the best art historians work on decoding symbols of the frescoes. The editorial office is interesting to know the most interesting guesses, versions and proven facts about one of the most recognizable works by Leonardo da Vinci.

"Last Supper"

The famous fresco is located in the refectory church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy). And was ordered by the cartridge of the artist - Milan Duke of Louis Sforza . The ruler was an adherent of frankly slituity life, and the beautiful and modest wife Beatrice d'Esta did not bother the young duke to live as he was used. Wife, by the way, loved him strongly and sincerely, and Louis himself was attached to her in his own way. And after the sustainable death of the spouse, the Duke in the sorrow of about two weeks did not leave her room. And when it came out, the first thing turned to Da Vinci with a request to write the fresco, which was asked for his spouse during his lifetime. By the way, the duke after the death of Beatrice forever stopped all sorts of entertainment at the court.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)

Yes Vinci began working on the fresco in 1495, its dimensions are 880 per 460 cm. Although, the picture should be called with a small reservation: after all, the artist worked at all on wet plaster, but on dry. This little trick allowed him to edit the picture several times. And given the fact that the "Last Supper" was finally ready only in 1498, it was a technical necessity.

Already in the life of the artist "the last meal of Jesus Christ" was considered the best work. According to Scripture, it was during dinner Jesus says the apostles about the soon betrayal. Da Vinci wanted to portray what was happening solely from a human point of view. And the emotions that the apostles have experienced, he was looking for among ordinary people. By the way, it is believed that it is precisely because there are no honeybons over the heroes. To portray the reaction to the words of the teacher, he wandered around the city for hours, started talking to strangers, mixed them, frustrated and observed changes in the faces.

"Last Supper" in the refectory

Work on the fresco was almost completed, Jesus and Judas remained the last instended heroes. It is believed that in these heroes the artist concluded the concepts of good and evil, and long could not find models suitable for such absolute images. But one day, Vinci saw in the church church of the young singing. The young man made an indelible impression on the artist, and it was he who became a prototype of Jesus.

Judas remained the last unlocked character. In search of the model, the artist wandered for a long time for gold places. Jew "MUST" was truly a truly lowered person. And only after 3 years, such a person was found - in a state of alcohol intoxication, in the ditch, absolute and dirty. The artist ordered to bring a drunkard into the workshop, where Judas were written off from a man. When the drinker came to himself, he approached the fresco and said that I saw pictures. Da Vinci asked in bewilderment when it was ... and the man replied that 3 years ago, when he sang in the church choir, a certain artist approached him with a request to write off Christ from Him. Thus, according to the assumptions of some historians, Jesus and Judas were written off from the same person in different periods of his life.

Sketches of "Secret Supper"

During the work of the artist, the abbot of the monastery was often hurried, he all argued that the picture should be drawn, and not to stand in thought in thought. Then yes Vinci threatened that if the abbot would not stop interfering, he would certainly write to Judea from him.

The most discussed figure of the frescoes is a student located on the right hand from Christ. Presumably, the artist depicted Maria Magdalin. It is even considered that she was the wife of Jesus, and it was on this that Da Vinci hinted, placing it in such a way that the bonding of the body of Jesus and Mary formed the letter "M" - "Matrimonio", which is translated as "marriage". However, this assumption challenges other historians, believing that the picture is not at all the letter "M", but "V" - the signature of the artist. In favor of the first version, the fact that Maria Magdalen was washed by Jesus's legs and wipe them with their own hair, and according to traditions, it could have done it only a legitimate wife.

Jesus on the fresco "Last Supper"

There is also a curious legend that the apostles were arranged by the artist according to the signs of the zodiac. And if you believe this version, then Jesus was Capricorn, and Maria Magdalene - Virgin.

An even more curious fact - with bombing during the period of the Second World War, almost all the church building was destroyed, except for the wall with the fresco. People themselves, as a whole, shrewd the masterpiece of the Renaissance era, and treated her far from mercifully. For example, after the Flood of 1500, which caused a serious damage picture, it was never renovated. In 1566 in the wall "Last Supper"the door was done, which "crocheted" the heroes of the frescoes. And at the end of the XVII century, the refectory was re-equipped into the stable.

Jesus and Maria Magdalene

Historians, by the way, differ in the opinion of the food shown on the fresco. For example, the question of what fish is depicted on the table - herring or eel - still open. A number of researchers believe that this ambiguity was originally conceived da Hisni. The question in some way is purely linguistic: Italian "eel" is pronounced as "Arring", and if you double "P", it will turn out a completely different meaning - "Arring" (instruction). At the same time, in Northern Italy, "Herring" is pronounced "Renga", and the meaning of "the one who denies religion" is also important, and yes Vinci himself was also such. By the way, near Judas there is a tilted Solonka, ancient times considered a bad admission, and the table and dishes shown in the picture are an accurate copy of those in the church at the time of creating the painting.

On the eve of the glory suffering and death, the Lord Jesus Christ made his last meal with his students - a secret evening. In Jerusalem, in the Zion Gorne district, the Savior with the Apostles celebrated the Old Testament Jewish Easter, established in memory of the wonderful rid of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. After biting the Old Testament Jewish Easter, the Savior took the Bread and, thanking God's God for all His mercy to the human race, prevented and filed disciples, saying: "This is the body of my body, which will indulge for you; We create in my memoil. " Then he took a cup with grape wine, also blessed her and filed them, saying: "Drink out everything; For this is the blood of my new covenant, for many exhausted to leaving sins. " Coming by the apostles, the Lord gave them to the commandment to always perform this sacrament: "We create in my memoil in my memory." Since then, the Christian Church for each divine Liturgy commits the sacrament of the Eucharist - the greatest sacrament of the joining of believers with Christ.

Word for gospel reading in the great Thursday ( 15.04.93 )

The Supper of Christ is a secret. First, because students are going around the teacher, the united world, hated by the prince of this world, who is in the ring of anger and the deadly danger, which is generosity of Christ and requires loyalty from students. This requirement disturbed by terrible betrayal from Judah and imperfectly executed by other students who fall into Dreuma from despondency, from sad premonitions, when they should be awake with Christ during praying about the bowl. Peter in the back of fear with oaths rejuvenates from his teacher. All students are running out.

Eucharist. Sofia Kievskaya

But the line between loyalty, at least imperfect, and the fullness remains. This is a terrible face: an irreconcilable clash between his generosity and holiness, between the kingdom of God, which he proclaims and brings people, - and the kingdom of the prince of this world. It is so indisputable that, approaching the secret of Christ, we turn out to be in front of the last choice. After all, we are approaching Christ so close as the believers of other religions and can not imagine. They can't imagine that you can get closer to God as we, when we eat the flesh and drink His Blood. It is difficult to think, and what to say! What was the apostles to hear the words for the first time, which the Lord set the truth! And the grief to us, if we do not experience at least a small fraction of that tremble, which then had to embrace the apostles.

The Last Supper is a secret and because it should be covered from the hostile world, and because in its creature - an impenetrable mystery of the last condescension of the God-man to the people: the king of the reigning and the Lord dominates with their own hands is my legs to wash his homes and thus makes their humility to all of us . How can I surpass it? Only one thing: to betray yourself. And the Lord does it.

We are weak people. And when our hearts are dead, we want well-being. But while we have a living heart, a sinful, but alive, - what the living heart is now whom? The fact that there was a subject of love, infinitely worthy of love so that you can find such a thing of love to find and serve him without regretting yourself.

All the dreams of people are unreasonable because it is dreaming. But they are alive until the living heart seeks not to well-being, but to the sacrificial love, to ensure that you are inflated generosity to us and so that we have some generosity to answer this and rightly serve the king of the reigning and the Lord of the dominant, which is so generous To your servants.

Our Lord in the face of the Apostles called us with her friends. It is more terrible to think about it, than to think about the fact that we are slaves of God. The slave may hide the eyes in a bow; A friend cannot evange from meeting his friend's eyes - a reproach, forgiving, seeing his heart. The mystery of Christianity, unlike the imaginary secrets, which false teachings are seduced by people, is how impermeable to look at the depth of transparent water, which, however, is so great that the bottom we do not see; Yes, and there is no it - the bottom.

What can I say this evening? Only one thing: that the holy gifts that we will be rendered and filed - these are the very body and blood of Christ, who in the unimaginable shock of the hearts knocked apostles. And this is our meeting - this is the most names of the Last Supper. We will pray that we can not give God's mystery - the mystery that shares us with Christ that we survive this warmth of the mystery, did not betray her so that we answer her at least the most imperfect loyalty.

Last Supper in Icon and Pictures

Simon Ushakov icon "Last Supper" 1685 icon placed over the royal gates in the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of Trinity-Sergian Monastery

Dirk Bautz
Mystery of communion
1464-1467
Altar of the Church of St. Peter in Luerman

Omotion of legs (John 13: 1 - 20). Miniature from the Gospel and Apostle, XI century. Parchment.
Monastery Dionisiat, Athos (Greece).

Ablution of legs; Byzantium; X in.; Location: Egypt. Sinai, Monastery of St. Catherine; 25.9 x 25.6 cm; Material: Tree, Gold (Susal), Pigments of natural; Technique: gilding, tempera

Omotion of legs. Byzantium, XI century. Location: Greece, Fokid, Monastery Osios Lucas

Julius Snorre von Karolsfeld The Last Supper of Engraving 1851-1860 from the illustrations to the "Bible in Pictures"

Omotion of legs. Statue in front of Dallas Baptist University.

On the eve of Easter on April 15, the Great Italian artist, sculptor, architect, scientist and engineer Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) would have been 557 years old.

The most famous work of Leonardo is the famous "Last Supper" in the Dominican Monastery of Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan - was performed between 1495 - 1497.
Lonardo's brush captured the last joint meal (dinner) of Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles on the eve of the day (passionate Friday) of the Christian death of Christ.

"Last Supper" Leonardo da Vinci (1495-1497) to restoration
Leonardo's Milan painting was preparing carefully and long. He performed a lot of sketches in which he studied poses and gestures of individual figures. The "Last Supper" attracted him not to his dogmatic content, and the ability to deploy a great human drama to the audience, show the various characters, reveal the spiritual world of a person and accurately and clearly describe his experiences. He perceived the "secret evening" as a scene of betrayal and set himself the goal of entering this traditional image of the dramatic beginning, thanks to which it would acquire a completely new emotional sound.

Hovering the idea of \u200b\u200bthe "secret evening", Leonardo not only performed the sketches, but also recorded his thoughts on the actions of individual participants of this scene: "The one who drank and put the Cup in place, turns his head to the speaker, the other connects the fingers of both hands and with frowning eyebrows looks like his companion, the other shows the palms of hands, lifts his shoulders to the ears and expresses surprise ... "The names of the apostles are not indicated in the record, but Leonardo, it seems clearly imagined the actions of each of them and the place that everyone was called take in the overall composition. Speaking in the drawings of postures and gestures, he was looking for such forms of expression that would involve all figures in a single whirlpool of passions. He wanted to capture in the images of the apostles of living people, each of whom responds in its own way to what is happening.

"The Last Supper" is the most mature and finished work of Leonardo.
In this painting, the Master avoids everything that could darken the main course of the action depicted by him, he achieves a rare conviction of the composite solution. In the center, he puts the figure of Christ, highlighting it with the lumen of the door. Apostles, he consciously moves away from Christ to further focus his place in the composition. Finally, for the same purpose, he makes it converge all the promising lines at the point directly located above the head of Christ. Leonardo students break into four symmetric groups, full of life and movement. It makes a small table, and the refectory is strict and simple. This gives him the opportunity to focus the attention of the viewer in the figures with a huge plastic force. In all these techniques, a deep dedication of the creative plan is affected, in which everything weighed and taken into account.
The main task that Leonardo put on a "secret evening", was the realistic transfer of the most complicated mental reactions to the words of Christ: "One of you betray me." Giving the finished human characters and temperatures in the images of the apostles, Leonardo makes each of them respond to the words uttered by Christ.

"Zloty section" Leonardo da Vinci
It is this fine psychological differentiation that is based on the diversity of persons and gestures, and hit most contemporaries Leonardo, especially when comparing his painting with earlier Florentine images on the same theme of Brush Tadeo Guddi, Andrea Del Kastano, Kozimo Rosselli and Domenico Girlandiao. All these masters, the apostles are sitting calmly, like the alike, at the table, remaining completely indifferent to everything that happens. Without having enough strong funds in his arsenal for the psychological characteristics of Judas, Leonardo's predecessors allocated him from the general group of the Apostles and had in the form of a completely insulated figure in front of the table. Thus, Judas artificially opposed to the entire assembly as a rudder and villain. Leonardo boldly breaks this tradition. His artistic language is rich enough to not resort to such, purely external effects. He unites Judah in one group with all other apostles, but gives him such features that allow the attentive viewer to immediately identify it among the twelve students of Christ.

Each of the students Leonardo interprets individually. Like the stone-abandoned stone, generating a circle, the words of Christ, who fell among the dead silence, cause the greatest movement in the meeting, in a minute before being in full peace. Especially impulsively respond to the words of Christ those three apostles that sit on his left hand. They form an inextricable group, imbued with a single will and a single movement. Young Philippe jumped out of the place, turning to the underwent question to Christ, Jacob Senior in the indignation spread his hands and leaned back a little back, Thomas raised his hand up, as if trying to give himself a report in what was happening. The group, located on the other side of Christ, is imbued with a completely different spirit. A significant interval separated from the central figure, it differs in incomparably greater gesture restraint. Presented in a sharp turn of Judas convulsively squeezes the wallet with the Srebreniki and looks at Christ with fear; His shaded, ugly, rough profile is contrastingly opposed to the brightly lit, beautiful face of John, loosely dropped his head on his shoulder and calmly arguing on the table. Between Jew and John, the head of Peter is wedged; Bending to John and leaning with his left hand about his shoulder, he whispers something in his ear, while his right hand resolutely grabbed the sword he wants to defend his teacher. Sitting near Peter three other apostles are turned into profile. It looks closely at Christ, they ask him about the culprit of betrayal. At the opposite end of the table, the last group of three figures is presented. Matthew-stretched towards Christ, stretched to Christ, appeals to the elderly Fadda, as if wanting to get an explanation of everything from him. However, the adepent gesture of the latter clearly shows that he remains in ignorance.

Not by chance, Leonardo portrayed both extreme figures sitting along the edges of the table, in a clean profile. They closure on both sides running from the center, performing here the same role that belonged to the "worship of the Magi" to the Figures of the Old Man and the young man, set as the very edges of the picture. But if the psychological means of expression from Leonardo did not rise in this work of the early Florentine era above the traditional level, then in the "secret evening" they reach such perfection and depths that were equal in vain to be found in all Italian art of the XV century. And this perfectly understood the contemporaries of the masters who took the "Layer Supper" Leonardo as a new word in art.

The artist, like almost all geniuses, worked very chaotic. That did not disappear over the whole days from his work, it applied only a few smears.

The last evening is the only major completed work of the master. He chose an unusual type of painting - oil paints, and not by temporary, which allowed a slower pace of work, with the possibility of additions and changes. The style that the work is written, creates the impression that we look at it through the stuffing glass. Numerous stains merge among themselves in a single picture.
The consecration depicted by a great genius gives the impression of real light, since weak light and the picture appears from the neighboring window of the perpendicular wall and appears in the eyes of the audience a reality. Unfortunately, currently this window is completely darkened, so as not to spoil the fragile work. Therefore, the work in its complex loses a bit. Experts offer to put a special filter on the window, but so far it is only talk.

The painting method by oil paints was very short-lived. Two years later, Leonardo came to horror, seeing his work so much changed. And ten years later, he, together with students, tries to produce the first restoration work. In total, eight restorations were made throughout the picture. In connection with these rapid attempts, new layers of paints were repeatedly applied, significantly distorted the original. In addition, by the beginning of the 20th century, the legs of Jesus Christ turned out to be fully erased, since the dining room constantly opening the door was in contact with this place. The door abandoned the monks for the passage to the refectory, but since it was done in the 1600s, then it is a historic hole and climb it there is no possibility.

Milan is rightly proud of this masterpiece, which is the only work of the era of the revival of such a scale. To no avail, two French kings dreamed of transporting painting along with the wall to Paris. Napoleon also did not remain indifferent to this idea. But to the great joy of Milanians and all Italy, this unique work of the Great Geniya remained in its place. During World War II, when British aviation bombarded Milan, the roof and three walls of the famous building turned out to be completely demolished. And imagine, only the one on which Leonardo did its painting. It was a real miracle! This "miracle" we are obliged not least by the monks, carefully laid down the wall with frescoes with sand bags.

For a long time, ingenious work was on the restoration. For the reconstruction of the work, the latest technologies were used, which allowed to gradually remove the layer on the layer. Thus, the age-old hardened dust, mold and all kinds of other foreign materials were removed. And let's say straight, from the original, for 500 years 1/3 was lost or even half of the original paints. But the general type of painting was much transformed. She, as it were, he came to life, having felt merry, alive paints, who gave her great master. And finally, in the spring of May 26, 1999, after the restoration, which lasted 21 years, the work of Leonardo da Vinci was again open to universal ferris. In the city on this occasion, there was a big holiday, and in the church - a concert.

To protect this delicate work from damage, in the building, through special filtering devices, constant temperature and air humidity are supported. The entrance is made not more than 25 people, every 15 minutes. The entrance ticket must be ordered in advance.

Dominican monastery "Santa Maria Delle Grazie" in Milan
There are several legends and legends telling about the great master and his picture.

So for one of them, when creating the frescoes "The Last Supper", Leonardo da Vinci collided with great difficulty: he had to portray good, embodied in the image of Jesus, and evil - in the image of Judah, who decided to betray him on this meal. Leonardo in the middle interrupted the work and resumed it only after found ideal models.

Once, when the artist was present on the speech of the choir, he saw in one of the young singers the perfect image of Christ and, inviting him to his workshop, made several sketches and etudes from him.
Three years have passed. "The Last Supper" was almost completed, but Leonardo has not yet found a suitable simulator for Judah. The Cardinal, who was responsible for the painting of the cathedral, hurried it, demanding that the fresco was finished as soon as possible.
And after the multi-day search, the artist saw a man-shaped in the walled ditch - a young, but prematurely dye, dirty, drunk and dangling. Time for Etudes has no longer left, and Leonardo ordered his assistants to deliver it directly to the cathedral that they did.
With great difficulty, he was dragged there and put on his feet. He really did not understand what was happening, and Leonardo imprinted sinfulness on canvas, selflessly, angry, which was breathing his face.
When he graduated from work, the beggar, who by this time had already sang a little, opened his eyes, saw a cloth in front of him and cried in fright and melancholy:
- I have already seen this picture before!
- When? Leonardo asked inadmanly.
- three years ago, even before I lost everything. At that time, when I sang in the choir and my life was full of dreams, some artist wrote Christ from me.

According to another legend, the misfortune of Leonardo, the prior of the monastery persistently demanded that he would rather finish his work. "He seemed strange to see Leonardo for a whole half of the day standing in thought. He wanted the artist to not let the brushes from the hands, like the work in the garden do not stop. Without limited to this, he complained to the duke and so began to displays him that he was forced to send him for Leonardo and in a delicate form to ask him to take up work, in every way giving it to understand that all this he did at the insistence. " When hearing the duke to talk to general artistic topics, Leonardo then pointed to him that he was close to the end of the painting and that he remains to write only two heads - Christ and Traitor Juda. "This last head, he would still like to search, but in the end, if he won't find anything better, he is ready to use the head of this very prior, so obsessive and indiscreet. This remark was very launched Duke, who said to him that he was a thousand times right. So the poor embarrassed prior continued to customize the work on the garden and left Leonardo, who finished the head of Judah, who had the true embodiment of betrayal and inhumanity. "

"Last Supper" Leonardo da Vinci (1495-1497) after restoration

"Last Supper" Leonardo da VinciPerhaps it is included in the top 3 of the most mysterious and conflicting works of the famous Italian. The fresco is not essentially so. An experiment in three years long. The gracious field for speculation on the meaning of symbols and genuine personalities depicted. Unbearable challenge for restorers. All this is about one of the most famous works of art in the world.

Likha trouble Start: Who ordered Leonardo "The Last Supper"

In 1494, the duke of Milan became odious and ambitious Ludovico Sforza. Despite all ambitions and weaknesses, in one extent inherent in the extent, it must be said, almost every outstanding statesman, Lodoviko served a lot for his faith and achieved significant diplomatic success, having achieved peaceful relations with Florence, Venice and Rome.

He paid a lot of attention to the development of agriculture, industry, science and culture. From the painters he especially fagged Leonardo da Vinci. His brushes belongs to the portrait of Lovovico's mistress and mother of his son Cezchilia (Cecilia) Galelan, better known as the "Lady with Mornosta". Presumably, the painter perpetuated and the legitimate spouse of the Duke Beatrice D'EShe, as well as the second favorite and the mother of another illegitimate son Lucreta Krvelli.

The house of the Church of Lodovico was a chapel at the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and his abbot was a close friend of the duke. Milan's ruler became a sponsor of the large-scale reconstruction of the church, which was seen by the future Mausoleum and the monument of the Sforza dynasty. The vain plans were aggravated by the sudden death of Beatrice's wife and daughter Bianchi in 1497, two years after Leonardo began working on a "secret evening".

In 1495, when the painter received an order to select one of the walls of the meadow chapels with a nine-meter fresco with a popular Gospel plot, telling about the last meeting of Christ with the apostles, where he first revealed the sacrament of the Eucharist, no one could even suspect which long and difficult fate of her Wait.

Experimental art Leonardo da Vinci

Until that moment, Vinci did not have to work with frescoes. But could it be an obstacle for a person who chose an empirical one of all the methods of knowledge, and did not believe anyone for the word, preferring everything to check on his own experience? He acted according to the principle of "we are not looking for light paths," and in this case it remained faithful to him to the end.

Instead of using the old good technique of applying Tempers on fresh plaster (actually, and the gave the name of the fresco that occurred from the Italian Fresco - "Fresh"), Leonardo began experimenting. The subject of his experiments consistently became literally all the factors and stages involved in the creation of frescoes, ranging from the construction of scaffolding, for which he tried to invent his own mechanisms, and ending with plaster and paints.

Firstly, he categorically did not fit the method of work on the wet plaster, which grabbed pretty quickly and did not allow thoughtfully to work on each fragment and endlessly refining it, bringing to perfection, as usual writing his paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. Secondly, the traditional egg temperature did not give it the degree of brightness of the paint, since it somewhat tuck and changed the color when drying. And mixing pigments with oil made it possible to obtain more expressive and shiny paints. In addition, it was possible to reach different density of shades: from very thick and opaque to thin, luminous. This is how it is impossible to better fit the love of Da Vinci to the creation of filigree black and white effects and branded reception of SFUMATO.

But that's not all. In order to make an oil emulsion more adapted to the requirements of the wall painting, the painter decides to add an egg yolk into it, thus obtaining the unprecedented composition "Oil temperature". As time will show, in the long run, a bold experiment did not justify itself.

Case - time: a long history of creating a "secret evening"

According to the testimony of contemporaries, Da Vinci approached all aspects of writing a "secret evening" with such a thoroughness that it was delayed to infinity, and this is immensely annoyed the abbot of the monastery. Firstly, who will like the state of "chronic repairs" at the place of adoption of food with all the nuances arising from here (some sources mention a very unpleasant smell of the copyright of the plaster from Leonardo).

Secondly, a long process meant and the corresponding increase in the financial costs of painting, even more so that it worked on it a whole brigade. The volume of only preparatory work on the application of plaster, primer and swine-led coatings implies the involvement of all members of Leonardo studio.

The patience of the abbot gradually approached the end, and he complained to the duke to slowness and laziness of the artist. According to the legend, the vazari in his "lifeshops", yes Vinci in his justification responded to Lodovico, that he could not find a suitable flashing for the role of the Judah model. And that if the person of the required degree of disgusting never deemed, he "Can always take advantage of the head of this abbot, so annoying and indispensable".

There is another legend of the attendant, posing when writing Judah. So beautiful that if the situation is far from reality, it would be worth it. The artist as if he was looking for his Judas among the most garbage of society, and eventually stopped his selection on a last resurrection propoine from the waste ditch. The "model" barely kept on his feet and did little, but when the image of Judas was ready, the drunkard looked into the painting and said that he had already had to pose for her earlier.

It turned out that three years before these events, when he was a young and chaste singing in church choir, a certain painter noticed him and offered him the role of a simulator for the image of Christ. It turns out the same person in different periods of his life was a chance to visit both the embodiment of absolute purity and love and the prototype of the greatest fall and betrayal. Beautiful parable about the fragile borders between good and evil and how it is hard to climb up and easy to roll down.

Escaling Beauty: How many Leonardo remains in the "Last Evening"?

Despite all the efforts and experiments with the composition of paint, and Vinci still failed to produce a revolution in writing frescoes. It was usually implied that they were made in order to delight the eyes of many centuries, and the destruction of the colorful layer of the "Last Supper" began during the life of the painter. And in the middle of the XVI century Vazari mentioned that "Not visible nothing but the confusion of spots".

Numerous restorations and attempts to save the painting of the authorship of the legendary Italian only aggravated the loss. British art historian Kenneth Clark in the 30s of the last century explored the preparatory sketches and early copies of the "Secret Supper", made by artists who took the participation of its creation. He compared them with what remained from the frescoes, and his conclusions were disappointing: "Exaggerated griming persons, as if killed from the" terrible court "Michelangelo, belonged to the brushes of the mighty manarist of the XVI century".

The latter and largest restoration was completed in 1999. She took about two decades and demanded an investment of more than 20 billion lire. And no wonder: the restorers had the work of thinner jewelry: it was necessary to remove all layers of early restorations, while not damaged those crumbs that remained from the initial painting. The head of the restoration work recalled that the fresco was done so "As if she was a real disabled".

Despite the voices of critics about the fact that as a result of the "The Last Supper" lost the "spirit of the original", today she is still closer to what they saw the monastery of the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery during the meadow. The main paradox lies in the fact that one of the most famous and recognizable works of art in the world contains only no more than 20 percent of the original.

In fact, now this is the embodiment of the collective interpretation of the plan of Leonardo da Vinci, obtained by painstaking research and analysis of all available information. But, as it often happens in the artistic world, the hard fate of the exhibit only adds to him glasses and values \u200b\u200b(remember the story with the abduction and acquisition of Davinciyevskaya Djokondov, which brought it into the absolute top of the mass.