Da Vinci

Art through the ages has changed considerably. From cave drawings to contemporary art, man has had an insatiable longing to create, and relate to the world around him. There are many forms of art, and a multitude of opinions on what art is. What appeals to one person is different from what appeals to another. I have selected two works of art that differ in style and content to illustrate how they have influenced my perception of what art is and what appeals to me.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is one of the most recognizable works of art in the world. Even for those who aren’t “religious” it doesn’t cease to amaze. Although The Last Supper has been painted by many artists, such as Andrea del Castagno, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and Domenico Glurlandaio, to name a few, Leonardo Da Vinci’s rendition is the most renowned.

Leonardo Da Vinci lived during the time of the Renaissance. Renaissance is French for re-birth - in Italian it is Rinascimento. It was a cultural movement that spanned roughly from the 14th to the 17th century. Beginning in Florence in the late Middle Ages and spreading to the rest of Europe. The influence of the church on religious art and the most important biblical stories was of paramount importance during the Renaissance. Since the church served as a patron for much of the religious art during the Renaissance, artists aimed to inspire reverence. The spiritual content of painting was changing though, and devotional art became classically humanized. Classical artistic principles, including harmonious proportion, realistic expression, and rational postures were emulated.

Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is a mural painting in Milan, Italy, created for his patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d’Este. It represents the scene of The Last Supper from the final days of Jesus as narrated in the four gospels of the New Testament of the bible. The theme was a traditional one for refectories of the time. It is Christ’s announcement...