One of the most iconic paintings of the Italian Renaissance is “The Last Supper”.  This masterpiece was beautifully constructed by Leonardo da Vinci in 1498 in the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery.  This painting depicts the specific scene of the Last Supper when Jesus stated that one of his disciples would betray him.  As in most religious paintings, Jesus Christ is the focal point.  Surrounding Jesus, his disciples are gathered around the table.  While most viewers think this piece is just about the scene of the last supper, a closer interpretation shows that Leonardo da Vinci utilizes various techniques to depict multiple religious allusions, uniting multiple stories into one painting, and showing how different moments in time can be grouped together in one moment.

Because Jesus announced that one of his disciples would betray him, the faces of the disciples displayed various emotions, depicting that this painting was of that exact moment.   In this work, it is shown that Jesus is very calm while the disciples are in chaos.  According to the story of Matthew 26:14-23, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, agreed to betray Christ for thirty pieces of silver.  As the story goes on the disciples gather with Jesus for his last Pass Over feast.  Jesus continued and stated, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me.  The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.”  Leonardo da Vinci shows that Judas is the second person to Jesus’ left as his left hand and Christ’s right hand are both reaching towards/away from the bowl.  Judas appears to be holding a bag in his right hand, which contains the pieces of silver for his betrayal of Christ.  DaVinci uses this as a way to foreshadow the betrayal of Christ by Judas, which ultimately leads to the crucifixion of Christ. 

As one looks closer, another aspect of the story appears, the scene of Holy Communion.  This story is beautifully illustrated by DaVinci through his use of space.  One can notice that next the bowl, the one placed between Jesus and Judas, is a glass of wine.  Jesus also appears to be reaching towards this with his right hand while reaching for the Eucharist with his left hand.  This depicts the upcoming scene of Holy Communion:  “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.”  Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.”  Leonardo da Vinci did a good job of illustrating this scene, even though it hadn’t occurred yet.  This is significant as DaVinci is able to introduce multiple scenes that occurred at different times, and incorporate it into one painting at one single moment.  This scene was the most important scene of the Last Supper and is the scene that is celebrated at every mass of the Catholic faith.  This representation is celebrated during Holy Communion and is celebrated differently than other stories.  During the story of the Last Supper, it is expected for everyone to kneel and bow their heads.  Bells are also rung during its telling to add emphasis.  It can be clearly noted that this scene is more significant and is highlighted more than many other stories of the Catholic faith.  DaVinci did not let this scene go unnoted, and used it to add further suspense to this iconic moment.

In this seemingly basic painting, another allusion is evident involving Thomas, the disciple who is holding his finger up while standing to the left of Jesus.  In the story of John 20: 24-29, one of the disciples came to Thomas and said that they have seen the Lord after he has already been crucified.  Thomas replies with, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”  A week passed and Jesus came and stood with his disciples.  Jesus proceeded to say to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”  Thomas then cries out to Jesus, and Jesus responds with one of the most significant verses in the bible: “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  This allusion is very powerful as it refers to the idea of belief.  Belief is such a significant aspect of the Catholic faith as one must believe in God to indulge further into faith.  If one does not believe in the teachings of God, then one will not have a successful relationship with God.  The connection between an individual, God, and the Catholic Church is based on how strong ones faith is.  This allusion would be easy to miss but Leonardo da Vinci smoothly incorporates into his “basic” painting.

Leonardo da Vinci simplifies this scene and allows the viewer to focus on Jesus and the reactions and movements of his disciples, which take place in very little space, leading to anxiety about the future.  Jesus is placed in the middle with plenty of arm room.  This shows Jesus’ importance and his divinity.  Surrounded on each side of him are his disciples, all crammed together with no space in-between them.  This shows the disorder that is occurring in this scene and also classifies them as imperfect.  Leonardo further classifies the twelve disciples into four groups of three.  This is significant as there are three people in the Holy Trinity: The father, the son, and the holy spirt.  The number four is also just as significant as there are four gospels in the bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  This allusion to the Holy Trinity is important as it relates back to DaVinci’s incorporation of multiple events into one single moment.  The Holy Trinity is three different figures, but is also always united as one.  The reference to the four gospels is also significant as the most important stories of Jesus Christ were written in each of these gospels.  DaVinci’s utilization of separate groupings also distinguishes the various reactions of the disciples and depicts emotional stress.  Another interesting feature of this piece is the boundary created by the table.  All of the apostles are on one side of the table instead of on both sides.  This shows that there is no room behind the table and further ads to the sense of chaos which DaVinci depicts.  This table serves as a barrier between the viewer and what is going on in the scene of the Last Supper.

Leonardo da Vinci’s, “The Last Supper”, is arguably the most significant religious paintings.  Leonardo beautiful incorporated outside allusions while solely focusing on a specific moment.  The allusions administer importance to this painting and shares a story that connects multiple scenes into one.  Da Vinci also uses a simplistic approach to highlight hidden sophisticated details that would otherwise go unnoticed.  These techniques in combination with distinct spacing captivates this immaculately staged scene.  At a first glance the painting looks basic, but through a close viewing, we can see how DaVinci incorporated three allusions into one story, just as the Holy Trinity incorporates three people into one entity; and also how the different allusions portrayed in this painting contribute to the central idea of belief in the Catholic faith.