Renaissance Blog: The last Supper

About the Artist:

        Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, artist, and so much more from the Renaissance times. He was born near Florence as the son of a notary and a peasant maiden. He apprenticed with Verrocchio, also an Italian artist. He traveled from Milan to Rome, to Bologna, to Venice, and finally to France in the court of King François I. Vinci was known as the "Renaissance man.” He created several beautiful famous masterpieces, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Even though less than three dozen of his paintings survived, some pieces, like the Vitruvian Man, and his copious notebooks lasted centuries. Leonardo's engineering plans, such as the helicopter and tank, were centuries ahead of his time but were not investigated mainly. Others, such as a bobbin winder, were taken to industry. His scientific investigations enriched anatomy, engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics.

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The story: 

        "The Last Supper" is a biblical story in the Christian bible. Matthew 26:24–25, Mark 14:18–21, Luke 22:21–23 and John 13:21–30. In a nutshell, Jesus and his disciples celebrate with a feast. Food, wine, and excitement. Some time into the dinner, Jesus explained that one of his disciples would betray him. They all denied it. Jesus tells them, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him." (Bible Study Tools)

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About the Art:

        Leonardo de Vinci's "Last Supper" piece is a re-invision of the biblical story "The Last Supper." As a Christian myself, this painting speaks to me. It gives me a clear vision of what the "Last Supper" might've looked like when all the disciples started defending themselves. I think this work is very well put together. Now if you know this story, you know how messed up it really is. Which is why I am not saying it's beautiful. I know what happens next after this scene, and I think so do a few of the viewers. Viewing this piece, I feel multiple emotions. The anxiety of knowing what happens after the "Last Supper." I feel sadness for the people who were affected by this scene, and I feel joy for knowing why this scene happened. 

        Vinci used an array of colors in this piece. I see blue, green, yellow, red, some beige, white, and brown. Red is often affiliated with anger. The red in this piece could make you feel anger for the fact Judas is going to betray Jesus. Blue is often used to show sadness. You could feel sadness knowing what's going to happen next. And yellow is used to represent joy and happiness. In this piece, it could give you a sense of joy for knowing Jesus died for us after this supper. Now I know not all believe in this biblical stuff, but it is real to some, including me, which is why it affects me so deeply on an emotional level. 

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Connection to "The Reinvention of Rome by the Catholic Church"

        This connects extremely easily. Catholics are a branch of Christianity, meaning they follow the bible like other Christians.

        In the early 15th century, many goers of the church considered the "Turkish invasion Byzantine Empire as a 'work of Providence' to bind divided Christianity together." (Pluralism) Now, the Council of Florence's response to that was to create a union on a large scale with not only the Greek Byzantine churches but with the Copts, Ethiopians, Armenians, and the Nestorians, too. As well as a reaffirmation of the 12th-century union with the Maronite Church. This reunion was a failure for 3 reasons specifically. 1: "The Western military aid was sent to protect Byzantium and was destroyed by the Ottoman forces." (Pluralism) 2: The townsmen and women of Constantinople refused to support the decisions of the Council. Lastly, Mark Eugenicus of Ephesus successfully convinced many popular people of the town within his jurisdiction to deny the decisions the Council was trying to make. Of course, this doesn't just stop here, the church decided to come up with a different idea. Taking place in the “...creation of Uniate churches – Eastern in rite and canon but Roman in ecclesial allegiance." (Pluralism) They were soon recognized by Roman Crusaders and "made common cause" (Pluralism) with each other. Later, this entire church was brought into union with Rome, being the only Catholic church to be brought in whole. Over the next 500 years, these churches began to grow and grow. So as I said in the beginning, the "Last Supper" piece is a view on the Last Supper story from the bible, which is Christian, which means the Catholics are connected to this story. 

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The Art:

The Last Supper, By Leonardo de Vinci. ^^

Sources: 

Wikipedia Contributors. “Last Supper.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Supper 

“John 13:27 - as Soon as Judas Took the Bread, Satan Entered Int...” Bible Study Tools, 2025, www.biblestudytools.com/john/13-27.html Accessed 18 Feb. 2025 

“The Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Communion.” Pluralism.org, pluralism.org/the-roman-catholic-church-and-the-catholic-communion 

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