The Paintings of Leonardo da Vinci - Essay Example

ARTS PAPER The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci are most valid in the world. His painting is d for revelations of interior meaning and implies a lot. We will surely have a lot of things to understand. “The Last Supper” given by Jesus Christ to his disciples, is always considered as an unforgettable monument in the history of painting. The first impression that we get of viewing the painting of Last Supper is really deed in impact. The portraits of those figures painted are so real that it takes some time to recognize that a painting has very effective sources in it. The painting of The Last Supper is originally painted on the backside wall of the dinning hall at the Dominician Convent of Stella Maria delle Grazie in Italy. There arise certain questions regarding the lightening, types of furniture used, and the seating arrangements. The historical fact and the Holy Bible clearly says that the supper was given on an evening. But in contradiction Leonardo has used daylight effect at the window which appears at the back end of the painted scene. In those days the type of tables used for dining were not straight on the other hand here Leonardo has painted a straight table where all the members could be seen. Leonardo seemed to have had a very brilliant notion while painting. He has given the daylight effect only to emphasize on the meaning of the painting and to focus on the members who were seated along with Jesus Christ at the centre. If he had used a round type or other rectangle type of table he would have failed to bring into focus the other disciples. If Leonardo had chosen night time effect he would have been unsuccessful in giving a full shape to the scenic background. The light effect is an additional success of the painting. It is very simple to understand, the light effect is the centre of attention for the painting. Otherwise the implication would have been fallen short of success. We could see and identify all the characters who attended the Last Supper with Christ and moreover the type of food served is also brought into focus, wine and bread. The one painting has a strong historical background. It was the last supper and so ha has painted at the end wall of the building, and the striking feature is that it will appear as if Christ and his disciples are sitting in reality in the same hall and since he had chosen the end of the hall it has the look of continuity as if the hall has an extension. The type of paint used by Leonardo was also a different attempt. He attempted “tempera”, a sort of paint that has the mixture of egg yolk and vinegar. In Leonardo’s time mostly a wall painting is painted inside a plaster and it was called “fresco” but Leonardo though seemed to have failed in the new concept of painting tried a method of painting over the plasters As a result the paint patches came out as years passed by. Due to this reason it becomes clear that Leonardo has tried a new attempt in painting. He was the one to add different color shades in his paintings which was actually not possible in wall paintings. This particular painting serves the purpose of rendering the truth behind the painted scene and the importance of the scene in theological history. The expression showu on the faces of His disciples is a mixture of both happiness and fear of losing Christ. There is one more interesting point found in the painting that is men are seen in groups of three in each group. These groups of men and the legs of the table and the covering cloth that is spread over the dinning table provide a symmetrical view in other words a sort of uniformity and discipline. Coming to the principles and elements of painting, Leonardo’s painting of The Last Supper scene has the following principles in it. As already mentioned the texture of the painting is made up of egg yolk and vinegar resulting in a smooth texture. There are variety of shapes used in the painting, one could easily identify organic shapes related to the characteristic of living beings, in this case the picture of Christ and His disciples is portrayed in such a manner that they are reacting to what Christ has told them. There are other shapes such as geometrical and dynamic are also applied. The geometrical shapes are found in the dinning table and its legs, the windows at the corner etc. The dynamic shapes are the figures of the Disciples of Christ. The colors also have various implications in it, Leonardo has used analogous as well as descriptive and expressive colors in order to bring the realistic effect in the painting. The purpose of colors and shades around the light reflected sides appears as if making a focus on the scene. The use of chiaroscuro and sfumato, that is light and shading effect and the gradual blending of color without a dividing line respectively are very obvious in Leonardo’s Painting of The Last Supper. Balance is obtained in any painting or sculpture only if the other elements such as shapes, texture, lines, light and space are in equal proportion with each other. As far as the spacing is concerned a symmetrical spacing is achieved in The Last Supper. The texture and the colors give a proportionate balance, similarly the shapes and spacing also have a balanced composition. The Spacing is done giving concentration on the back side of the painting where there is more space for light to penetrate and spotlight a overall view of all the members of Christ’s disciples. When compared to the spacing in the front view of the painting it is comparatively more. This Leonardo has applied in order to bring all the persons under a single hub. In fact this spacing give way to a clear understanding of the implication behind the work. A fantastic unity is achieved through out the painting. There lies a harmony between the elements and principles used in this painting. The size of the painting is of course overwhelming. The rhythm is achieved through the selection colors and theme of the painting. The Last Supper is an important theme in the theological history of Christianity. The purpose of the work is to make even the uneducated class of people to understand the advises given by Christ to His disciples and the most important thing is how he points out the traitor “Judas”. Christ says that the one who touches His plate is the traitor. And we all know Judas was commissioned silver coins as a reward to the secret work he did. Judas is portrayed sitting right to Christ with a bag in one hand and his other hand placed on the plate. The painting of The Last Supper was made during the 15th century. As mentioned earlier Leonardo has applied a new type of coloring surface called the “tempera”. Though the painting was done over the plasters and though it gave a majestic outlook it did not with stand the course of time, and as a result the paint started coming out of the wall surface. After which renovations were done to save that and other paintings of Leonardo. A final opinion would be that among the several advents of modern arts which have a different meaning indicated indirectly through colors or shapes, Leonardo’s paintings stands aloof and unbeatable and carrying direct implication of what the artist wants to convey to the viewers and observers. Read More