In class on Thursday, we analyzed Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The tempera wall mural is not in the best condition due to the chosen medium and poor conservation. However, the condition doesn’t undermine all the symbolism and technique Leonardo used in this work of art. Leonardo adds depth to this work by employing one-point perspective in his work where the different structures in the mural lead to a singular vanishing point that is conveniently placed by Jesus Christ’s head. This can be seen with the table and the four panels on each side of the walls — all the lines are orthogonal that lead to the vanishing point. The emergence of this vanishing point allows for paintings to be painted in a more naturalistic manner because it replicates what and how people actually see.
Additionally, I found it really convenient how artists were able to portray the religious aspect of the painting without the overuse of gold/gilded backgrounds and unrealistic halos around the heads of religious figures through symbolism. By using numbers such as 3 and 4 that represent Holy Trinity, theological virtues and the gospels, cardinal virtues respectively, artists such as Leonardo are able to emphasize the religiousness of the painting in a more natural manner.