Some consider the Last Supper, an oil and tempera painting by Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most mysterious pieces of artwork of all time. Da Vinci, an artist who is often referred to as a “genius” or a “renaissance man,” commonly included hidden meanings behind his work. These meanings would include extremely small details that would easily go unnoticed, if not for the information in his private notebook. The Last Supper was made sometime between the years 1494 and 1498 as part of the high Italian Renaissance era. During this time, da Vinci was supported by Gian Galeazzo Sforza, the Duke of Milan, who allowed him to live in the palace while working as a military engineer. The Duke commissioned this art piece as a gift to the monks at the Dominican Abbey Santa Marie de Grazie, who would stare at it, contemplating it as they ate in the dining room.
The Last Supper depicts the moment in the Bible when Jesus is with all of his apostles having the Passover dinner. This is when he says the famous line, “One of you will betray me.” Jesus is shown in the middle of a rectangular table while directing his hands to both bread and wine. The bread is a symbol of Jesus’ body and the wine represents his blood. At the same time, Jesus is also pointing to a plate of silver that Judas is also aiming at and backing away. Judas is tightly holding onto a pocket of silver that was given to him as payment from the Romans to expose Jesus. His head is turned, signifying that he will later commit suicide by hanging himself. Peter is holding a knife in his right hand, foreshadowing the scene when he cuts off a soldier’s ear to protect Jesus. Thomas has his pointer finger upwards, reminding the observer of how he uses that same finger to check whether Jesus is dead later in the Bible.
Mathematics holds a large role in da Vinci’s composition of the painting, specifically the number three and geometric shapes. The twelve apostles are split up into four groups of three, each group is shaped like a triangle, Jesus has an especially defined triangular shape, and there are three windows in the background. In Catholic art, the number three is often correlated with the Holy Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Immediately behind Jesus is a large window, highlighting his head, which could possibly be a modern version of a halo.
There is a multitude of conspiracy theories surrounding the Last Supper, all with various evidence, some of which do seem strongly believable. Probably the most significant theory is that the person to the right of Jesus, who is supposed to be his disciple John, is actually Mary Magdalene. This idea is greatly supported by so many people that it forms the basis of the novel The Davinci Code. In the novel, it is believed that the two were married because of bible excerpts claiming relevant information. As a Jewish man, it would have been expected that Jesus would get married, and Mary Magdalene would be the most likely choice.
Since the Last Supper was made with oil and tempera, oil-based and water-based paints, over the years, it has severely deteriorated. It has been restored numerous times but, unfortunately, will never reach its original condition. Nevertheless, many people believe it to be sacred because of its ability to survive throughout the years, especially with the damage caused to its church in World War II. In 1943, Dominican Abbey Santa Marie de Grazie was bombed, causing every part of the church to be destroyed, except for the wall with the Last Supper on it. Because of this event, many question how it is possible for a painting to survive a bomb that landed a mere eighty feet away from it.
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