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The Last Supper (Leonardo)

History, Religious and Mythological Paintings

The Last Supper is a mural painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to about 1495 to 1498 and housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. It depicts the moment after Jesus announces to the Twelve Apostles that one of them will betray him, following the account in the Gospel of John. Painted in tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic directly onto the wall rather than true fresco, and measuring about 460 by 880 centimetres, its handling of space, perspective and human emotion has made it one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western world and among Leonardo's most celebrated works, with some commentators considering it pivotal in inaugurating the High Renaissance.

Facts
Year Created
1498 1
Leonardo worked on the mural from about 1495 to 1498, not continuously; 1498 is its documented completion year.
Medium
Tempera on gesso, pitch, and mastic 1
Location
Refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy 1
Commissioned By
Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan 1
Classification
Genre
Painting 1
Connections

Associated With

Sfumato, Artistic Techniques

The Last Supper uses Leonardo's characteristic sfumato modeling.

Created By

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. The Last Supper (Leonardo) - Wikipedia
Wikipedia
  • History section, sentence on completion date and early deterioration
    soon after the painting was completed on 9 February 1498 it began to deteriorate.
  • Lead section, opening sentence
    housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.
  • Lead section, second paragraph, opening sentence on the commission
    The work was commissioned as part of a plan of renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.
  • Lead section, second paragraph, sentence on painting materials
    it is painted with materials that allowed for regular alterations: tempera on gesso, pitch, and mastic.
  • Genre reference
    The Last Supper is a mural painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to about 1495 to 1498 and housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
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