Leonardo+da+Vinci,+Last+Supper

Da Vinci, Leonardo. //The Last Supper//. 1497. Photograph. Milan. //Global Gallery//. Web. 15 Jan. 2010. .

Research
//Smart History//. Web. 15 Jan. 2010. .
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This article provides helpful information about the Renaissance, and provides information about da Vinci and what inspired him to paint The Last Supper in the fashion that he did.The article, titled "Florence in the Early Renaissance" begins with an explanation of how exactly the Renaissance began and why in Italy. The next topics covered in the source are, The Study of the Human Anatomy, Scientific Naturalism, and the High Renaissance.
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-Begins in early 15th century in Florence -The Renaissance begins in Florence because Florence saw itself as the ideal city state and a place where freedom of the individual was guaranteed - They imagined themselves as the "New Rome" who was prepared to sacrifice for the cause of freedom and liberty - The human anatomy was enormously important for Renaissance artists, the human figure was considered beautiful - When artists use science to make their art more naturalistic it is called Scientific Naturalism - Example of the difference of Early Renaissance and High Renaissance -An early renaissance angel should look like a boy -A high renaissance angel should look like a spiritual figure like an angel sent by God from heaven
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"Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano - MI-Soprintendenza per i beni Architettonici e per il Paesaggio per le province Milano, Bergamo, Como, Lecco, Lodi, Pavia, Sondrio e Varese." //Home Page-Soprintendenza per i beni Architettonici e per il Paesaggio per le province Milano, Bergamo, Como, Lecco, Lodi, Pavia, Sondrio e Varese//. Web. 15 Jan. 2010. .
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When you access this site, there are two versions, one in Italian and another translated in English. This site provides a great general background about Leonardo da Vinci and what lead him to paint //Last Supper//. The information, an easy read because it is only two paragraphs, describes a visit to the painting. The site explains the fragility of the painting and the extreme security it is under. I would definitely use this site as an alternative to Wikipedia, as it is more credible and uses a little more detail. To navigate to this site, I first searched "Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper" in google, and, like most I wanted to know a little bit about it before going deciding on an actual source, so I clicked on the Wikipedia page titled "The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)". I quickly scanned this site but realized that it is probably not that credible, so I remembered that a lot of times when people contribute things to a wikipage they give a link to some information. I scrolled through the external links and found one that said, Official Milanese "The Last Supper" site (English and Italian version). After I realized that the actual painting is in Italy I figured that this site is authentic. After reading the information on the site and looking at the pictures and reading the captions, I really grasped the whole idea of the painting which was pretty helpful with the rest of the project.
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- Leonardo originally painted The Last Supper on an actual wall, he wanted to be creative and test a method he thought of himself that would allow him to come back and work on every detail of the painting. However, this method didn’t work and that painting began to deteriorate. - Since the painting is extremely fragile, it is under extreme security: there has to be a regulated flow of visitors who can see the painting at a max of 25 people at once. To encourage a larger flow of visitors, you can only view the painting for a maximum of 15 minutes. Even with these rules, the Last Supper site is the most visited museum in Milan
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//About.com//. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .
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I really liked this site, it was definitely the most direct. The website, about.com, is similar to a Wikipedia except for there aren't random people editing the information. The article titled, Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper: Ten Common Questions About the Painting, is written by an expert, Shelley Esaak and in a very casual format, she answers questions that most people would want to know. This includes: Why did Leonardo paint this?, What does The Last Supper depict?, and Who is in the painting? If you already know a little bit about this painting but want to know the details, this site is the way to go.
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- From left to right in the painting is Bartholomew, James Minor and Andrew in a group of three. Next are Judas, Peter and John. Jesus Christ is in the middle and after him are Thomas, James Major and Philip and in the last group of three are Matthew, Thaddeus, and Simon.======

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- The actual painting portrays the moments in this story after Christ announced that one disciple would betray him before sunrise. The painting shows all twelve of the disciple's reaction to the news with different emotion.======

Summary
Description of the Image/story

//The Last Supper//, by Leonardo da Vinci, is a very important piece painted in 1497 which was essential to not only the Renaissance, but to Christianity as a whole as well. Jesus predicts that He will suffer after the Supper, and that he must go back to the kingdom of God and do what he is supposed to do. Also, in the painting Jesus is seen in the middle of his followers and disciples, symbolizing that He is serving them, rather than himself. This also means that He is rewarding them with food for following Him and being obedient, while not questioning Him. In church, wine and bread are often consumed to symbolize the blood and body that Jesus Christ sacrificed in order for us to live. We can assume that the food seen in //The Last Supper// serves as a remembrance for Jesus. Ultimately, the painting has taught people to serve others before themselves, stressing the value of unselfishness. In addition to Jesus in //The Last Supper//, Mary Magdalene is also picture in the painting, with the disciple Peter talking to her, perhaps whispering something. The disciples are reacting to the news that Jesus will be betrayed by one of them in the near future. As you can see, they are all reacting in different ways. Although there is some controversy over who Mary is, most people believe that she is the Mother of Jesus Christ. Other sources say that she is actually the wife of Jesus, although that is an idea that most Christian followers reject.

Discussion of Humanist Themes

In the painting, //The Last Supper//, many themes and ideas of the Renaissance show up. For example, Humanist thoughts show up in the painting when Jesus focuses on the individual and his disciples. Each one of his disciples was unselfish and Jesus is focusing on their achievements and accomplishments. People are also good, which goes against the Medieval ideal that all people are evil and do nothing right. Also, the painting shows that people are rewarded for doing the right thing, which also helps to show the importance of the individual. The complexity of the painting also implies the importance of art in the Renaissance, and how beautiful the works of art were compared to the bland and dark art of the Middle Ages. Leonardo da Vinci clearly described what is going on in the picture, and he made it very detailed, so that every aspect of the painting had a significance to it. In the Middle Ages, a painting wouldn’t have nearly as much detail or significance as that of //The Last Supper//. Finally, da Vinci depicts the human body as being beautiful, which is also a theme of the Renaissance. He was very careful to make the human body look gorgeous and godly, which is how people of his time viewed the human body.