The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci - Essay ExampleThe mural moving-picture show, The Last Supper, is a pulseless masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci depicting the figure of Jesus Christ sitting at the center of a long table, surrounded by his Apostles. It shows the last days of Jesus during which he was to reveal the betrayal of one of his Apostles The word picture was commissioned by Duke Ludovico Sforza for the dining hall of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan, Italy. Da Vinci worked on this painting for three years, from 1495-1498 and applied a new technique called tempera instead of using the expected fresco method (Ladwein 2006). Due to this, the painting has seen a lot of destruction over the years and has needed a lot of care and retouching to maintain some of its originality. Regardless of this, the painting is a comely work of genius, inspiring grandeur and awe through the centuries in anyone who looks upon it. The tempera technique was a new one, invented by Da Vinci, wh ich he wanted to taste with when creating The Last Supper. He didnt want to paint on wet smear for that would have severely limited the amount of time which he could guide working on the painting. Da Vinci wanted to capture the smallest of details and colors and working with plaster would not have allowed him to achieve such excessive exquisiteness when painting (Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper). He applied a combination of tempera, a mixture of egg yolk and vinegar, with oil painting and used ironical plaster to be able to better control the types of colors he could use (Ladwein 2006). This also allowed Da Vinci to redo specific areas without worrying about the plaster drying. Although, this allowed him ample time to complete the mural, it didnt however stand up to the test of time. For, only a few years after its completion, the mural started demo signs of ruin. For example, the humidity caused the plaster to peel off at many places and even the paint starting falling off. This deterioration has led to many restoration incidents. As early as 1517 the painting was started to be described as being ruined (Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper). The paint was horribly faded and the faces became unrecognizable. A curtain was even hung to protect the painting, but it only worked to absorb moisture and further destroy and scratch the painting. The first true attempt occurred in 1726, where Michelangelo Bellotti, attempt to fill in the missing areas with oil paint and later varnished the entire mural for protection. This too did not last long because the materials used werent up to the important task and in 1770, Giuseppe Mazza, had to repaint the entire mural (Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper). He wasnt allowed to completely finish due(p) to the growing controversy and resentment of the public, for, they felt that the artists were taking liberty with the work and recreating it however they pleased. However, time wasnt the only enemy of this magnificent wo rk of art. For example, at the end of the eighteenth century, French troops badly vandalized the painting, threw stones at it, and even tried to scratch the faces of the Apostles (Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper). It was severely destroyed in the first place an attempt was made to relocate it to a safe location. While moving it, the painting was again further damaged. Many parts had torn off and chewing gum was futilely used to attach the pieces back together. Two more attempts were made to clean the parts which were still attached and stable. The twentieth century didnt forage any better for the mural painting. For, it met with heavy bombing and vibrations during world war two. The painting was destroyed beyond recognition and a major restoration tolerate took place during the late 1970s in hopes of fixing all the past mistakes and improper attempts at repairing it (Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper). The project lasted more than twenty years and great care was taken to st abilize the condition of the painting and