Leonardo da Vinci 12 apostles. Icon “Last Supper”, meaning, what it helps with

Leonardo da Vinci– the most mysterious and unstudied personality of past years. Some ascribe to him a gift from God and canonize him as a saint, while others, on the contrary, consider him an atheist who sold his soul to the devil. But the genius of the great Italian is undeniable, since everything that the hand of the great painter and engineer ever touched was instantly filled with hidden meaning. Today we will talk about famous work "The Last Supper" and the many secrets it hides.

Location and history of creation:

Famous fresco is in the church Santa Maria delle Grazie, located on the square of the same name in Milan. Or rather, on one of the walls of the refectory. According to historians, the artist specifically depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were in the church at that time. By this he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer to people than they seem.

The painter received an order to paint the work from his patron, the Duke of Milan. Ludovico Sforza in 1495. The ruler was famous for his dissolute life and youth was surrounded by young bacchantes. The situation did not change at all because the Duke had a beautiful and modest wife. Beatrice d'Este, who sincerely loved her husband and, due to her meek disposition, could not contradict his way of life. We must admit that Ludovico Sforza he sincerely revered his wife and was attached to her in his own way. But the dissolute duke felt the true power of love only at the moment of the sudden death of his wife. The man's grief was so great that he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when I came out, the first thing I did was order Leonardo da Vinci fresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.

The work was completed in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 cm. Many connoisseurs of the artist’s work agreed that it was best "Last Supper" You can see it if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. Moreover, there is something to see. Already during the author's lifetime, the fresco was considered his best work. Although, calling the painting a fresco would be incorrect. The fact is that Leonardo da Vinci I wrote the work not on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, in order to be able to edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempra to the wall, which subsequently did a disservice, beginning to collapse just 20 years after the painting was painted. But more on that later.

Idea of ​​the piece:

"The Last Supper" depicts the last Easter dinner of Jesus Christ with his disciples and apostles, which took place in Jerusalem on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to scripture, Jesus said during a meal that one of the apostles would betray him. Leonardo da Vinci I tried to depict the reaction of each of the students to the prophetic phrase of the Teacher. To do this, he walked around the city, talked to ordinary people, made them laugh, upset them, and encouraged them. And at the same time he observed the emotions on their faces. The author's goal was to depict the famous dinner from a purely human point of view. That is why he depicted everyone present in a row and did not draw a halo above anyone’s head (as other artists liked to do).

Now we have reached the most interesting part of the article: the secrets and features hidden in the work of the great author.

1. According to historians, the most difficult thing is Leonardo da Vinci given the writing of two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist tried to make them the embodiment of good and evil, so for a long time he could not find suitable models. One day, an Italian saw a young singer in a church choir - so spiritual and pure that there was no doubt left: here he was - the prototype of Jesus for him. "Last Supper". But, despite the fact that the image of the Teacher was painted, Leonardo da Vinci I corrected it for a long time, considering it insufficiently perfect.

The last unwritten character in the picture was Judas. The artist spent hours wandering around the most hot spots, looking for a model for writing among degraded people. And now, almost 3 years later, he got lucky. Lying in the ditch was an absolutely degenerate guy in a state of strong alcohol intoxication. The artist ordered him to be brought to the studio. The man could hardly stand on his feet and had no idea where he was. However, after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. To the author’s bewilderment, the man replied that three years ago he was completely different, led correct image life and sang in the church choir. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him. So, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were copied from the same person in different periods his life. This once again emphasizes the fact that good and evil go so close that sometimes the line between them is imperceptible.

By the way, while working Leonardo da Vinci distracted by the abbot of the monastery, who constantly hurried the artist and argued that he should paint a picture for days, and not stand in front of it in thought. One day the painter could not stand it and promised the abbot to write off Judas from him if he did not stop interfering in creative process.

2. The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of a student, located on right hand from Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not Jesus' mistress, as is commonly believed, but his legal wife. This fact is confirmed by the letter “M”, which is formed by the contours of the couple’s bodies. Supposedly it means the word "Matrimonio", which translated means "marriage". Some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature is visible in the painting Leonardo da Vinci- letter "V". The first statement is supported by the mention that Mary Magdalene washed Christ’s feet and dried them with her hair. According to tradition, this could only be done legal wife. Moreover, it is believed that the woman was pregnant at the time of her husband’s execution and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, who marked the beginning of the Merovingian dynasty.

3. Some scholars argue that the unusual arrangement of the students in the picture is not accidental. They say Leonardo da Vinci placed people by... zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.

4. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the bombing during the Second World War, a shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything except the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Although, the people themselves not only did not take care of the work, but also treated it in a truly barbaric manner. In 1500, a flood in the church caused irreparable damage to the painting. But instead of restoring the masterpiece, the monks in 1566 made a hole in the wall with the image "Last Supper" a door that “cut off” the characters’ legs. A little later, the Milanese coat of arms was hung over the Savior’s head. And at the end of the 17th century, the refectory was turned into a stable. The already dilapidated fresco was covered with manure, and the French competed with each other: who would hit the head of one of the apostles with a brick. However, there were "Last Supper" and fans. The French king Francis I was so impressed by the work that he seriously thought about how to transport it to his home.

5. No less interesting are the thoughts of historians about the food depicted on the table. For example, near Judas Leonardo da Vinci depicted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered bad omen), as well as an empty plate. But most large object The fish in the picture is still controversial. Contemporaries still cannot agree on what is painted on the fresco - a herring or an eel. Scientists believe that this ambiguity is not accidental. The artist specifically encrypted the hidden meaning in the painting. The fact is that in Italian “eel” is pronounced “aringa”. We add one more letter, and we get a completely different word - “arringa” (instruction). At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means "one who denies religion." For the atheist artist, the second interpretation is closer.

As you can see, in one single picture there are hidden many secrets and understatements, which more than one generation has been struggling to uncover. Many of them will remain unsolved. And contemporaries will only have to speculate about the great Italian in paint, marble, sand, trying to prolong the life of the fresco.

Truly, there is no secret in the world that would not someday become obvious, for manuscripts do not burn. And we continue to debunk one of the most shameless historical myths, relatively defamed Christian Church name Mary Magdalene. Recently it has become important for us to have important coverage of this topic, because Rigden Djappo himself speaks with great respect about her and her “great feat”, which we will definitely come to later, as evidenced by those presented in the book " Sensei 4. Primordial Shambhala"materials describing completely unknown story this mysterious and beautiful woman. Very soon in the "Primordial Knowledge" section we will post detailed content this priceless, in our opinion, literary work.

In the meantime, following the article “One of the secrets of Mary Magdalene, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ,” we continue to search for the truth that is inconvenient for the official Church, trying to figure out what and why from us - ordinary people- have been hidden for thousands of years, what can you do, we have to say it straight, by the so-called “clergy”. Having received the keys of Knowledge, “doors and eyes open” for any person, he begins to see the surrounding reality from a radically different angle, and first of all, it becomes unclear to him why these people call themselves “clergy” and hide so many secrets? If people knew the truth, a lot in this world could change, and we are convinced, for the better for people.

Today we turn to the monumental painting of Leonardo da Vinci" last supper", depicting the scene of the last supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples. It was written in the years 1495-1498 in the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The reason for our conversion in it? Like many unbiased biblical scholars, we became very interested, why is it clear that there is a woman next to Jesus , while the Church for thousands of years has been urging people to believe in the version about a certain Apostle John, from whose pen the fourth, one of the canonical Gospels “of John the Theologian” came out, the “beloved disciple” of the Savior.

So, let's look at the original first:

Location

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.

"Last Supper" (official information, according to Wikipedia)

General information

The dimensions of the image are approximately 460x880 cm, it is located in the refectory of the monastery, on the back wall. The theme is traditional for this type of premises. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered with a fresco by another master; Leonardo also put his hand to it.

Technique

He painted “The Last Supper” on a dry wall, and not on wet plaster, so the painting is not a fresco in the true sense of the word. The fresco cannot be changed during work, and Leonardo decided to cover stone wall a layer of resin, gabs and mastic, and then write on this layer with tempera. Due to the chosen method, the painting began to deteriorate just a few years after the completion of the work.

Figures depicted

The apostles are depicted in groups of three, located around the figure of Christ sitting in the center. Groups of apostles, from left to right:

Bartholomew, Jacob Alfeev and Andrey;
Judas Iscariot (wearing green and blue color) , Peter and John (?);
Thomas, James Zebedee and Philip;
Matthew, Judas Thaddeus and Simon.

In the 19th century, notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci with the names of the apostles were found; previously only Judas, Peter, John and Christ had been identified with certainty.

Analysis of the picture

The work is believed to depict the moment when Jesus utters the words that one of the apostles will betray him (“and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me”), and the reaction of each of them. As in other depictions of the Last Supper of the time, Leonardo places those sitting at the table on one side so that the viewer can see their faces. Most previous writings on the subject excluded Judas, placing him alone at the opposite end of the table from where the other eleven apostles and Jesus sat, or depicting all the apostles except Judas with a halo. Judas clutches a small pouch, perhaps representing the silver he received for betraying Jesus, or an allusion to his role among the twelve apostles as treasurer. He was the only one with his elbow on the table. The knife in Peter's hand, pointing away from Christ, perhaps refers the viewer to the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane during the arrest of Christ. Jesus' gesture can be interpreted in two ways. According to the Bible, Jesus predicts that his betrayer will reach out to eat at the same time he does. Judas reaches for the dish, not noticing that Jesus is also extending his right hand to him. At the same time, Jesus points to bread and wine, symbolizing the sinless body and shed blood respectively.
The figure of Jesus is positioned and illuminated in such a way that the viewer's attention is drawn primarily to him. The head of Jesus is at a vanishing point for all lines of perspective.
The painting contains repeated references to the number three:

The apostles sit in groups of three;
behind Jesus there are three windows;
the contours of the figure of Christ resemble a triangle.

The light illuminating the entire scene does not come from the windows painted behind, but comes from the left, just like real light from the window on the left wall. In many places the picture passes golden ratio; for example, where Jesus and John, who is on his right, put their hands, the canvas is divided in this ratio.

"The Last Supper. Mary Magdalene sits next to Christ!" (Lynn Picknett, Clive Prince. "Leonardo da Vinci and the Brotherhood of Zion")

(a book worth reading for its analytical perspective)

There is one of the most famous - immortal - works of art in the world. Fresco by Leonardo da Vinci " Last Supper"is the only surviving painting in the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria del Grazia. It is made on a wall that remained standing after the entire building was reduced to rubble as a result of Allied bombing during World War II. Although others have presented their versions of this biblical scene to the world wonderful artists- Nicolas Poussin and even such an idiosyncratic author as Salvador Dali - it is Leonardo’s creation that, for some reason, amazes the imagination more than any other painting. Variations on this theme can be seen everywhere, and they cover the entire spectrum of attitudes towards the topic: from admiration to ridicule.

Sometimes an image looks so familiar that it is practically not examined in detail, although it is open to the gaze of any viewer and requires a more careful consideration: its true deep meaning remains a closed book, and the viewer glances only at its cover.

It was this work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - the suffering genius of Renaissance Italy - that showed us the path that led to discoveries so exciting in their consequences that at first they seemed incredible. It is impossible to understand why entire generations of scientists did not notice what was available to our astonished gaze, why such explosive information patiently waited all this time for writers like us, remained outside the mainstream of historical or religious research and was not discovered.

To be consistent, we must return to the Last Supper and look at it with fresh, unbiased eyes. This is not the time to consider it in the light of familiar ideas about history and art. Now the moment has come when the view of a person who is completely unfamiliar with this so famous scene will be more appropriate - let the veil of bias fall from our eyes, let us allow ourselves to look at the picture in a new way.

The central figure, of course, is Jesus, whom Leonardo, in his notes relating to this work, calls the Savior. He thoughtfully looks down and slightly to his left, his hands are stretched out on the table in front of him, as if offering the viewer the gifts of the Last Supper. Since it was then, according to the New Testament, that Jesus introduced the sacrament of Communion, offering bread and wine to the disciples as his “flesh” and “blood,” the viewer has the right to expect that there should be a cup or goblet of wine on the table in front of him in order for the gesture to appear justified . Ultimately, for Christians, this supper immediately precedes the passion of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he fervently prays “let this cup pass from me...” - another association with the image of wine - blood - and also the holy blood shed before the Crucifixion for the atonement of sins of all humanity. Nevertheless, there is no wine before Jesus (and not even a symbolic amount of it on the entire table). Could these outstretched hands mean what in the vocabulary of artists is called an empty gesture?

Given the absence of wine, it is perhaps no coincidence that of all the bread on the table, very few are “broken.” Since Jesus himself associated with his flesh the bread to be broken in the supreme sacrament, is there not a subtle hint sent to us of the true nature of Jesus' suffering?

However, all this is just the tip of the iceberg of heresy reflected in this picture. According to the Gospel, the Apostle John the Theologian was physically so close to Jesus during this Supper that he leaned “to his chest.” However, in Leonardo this young man occupies a position completely different from that required by the “stage instructions” of the Gospel, but, on the contrary, exaggeratedly deviated from the Savior, bowing his head in right side. An unbiased viewer can be forgiven if he notices only these curious features in relation to a single image - the image of the Apostle John. But, although the artist, due to his own preferences, was, of course, inclined towards the ideal male beauty somewhat feminine type, there can be no other interpretations: in this moment we are looking at a woman. Everything about him is strikingly feminine. No matter how old and faded the image may be due to the age of the fresco, one cannot help but notice the tiny, graceful hands, delicate facial features, clearly female breast and a gold necklace. This is a woman, precisely a woman, which is marked by attire that especially distinguishes her. The clothes she wears represent mirror reflection clothes of the Savior: if he is wearing a blue tunic and a red cloak, then she is wearing a red tunic and a blue cloak. No one at the table wears clothing that is a mirror image of Jesus' clothing. And there are no other women at the table.

Central to the composition is the huge, widened letter “M”, which is formed by the figures of Jesus and this woman taken together. They seem to be literally connected at the hips, but suffer due to the fact that they diverge or even grow from one point to another. different sides. As far as we know, none of the academicians ever referred to this image other than “St. John”; they also did not notice the compositional form in the form of the letter “M”. Leonardo, as we have established in our research, was a magnificent psychologist who laughed at presenting to his patrons, who commissioned him a traditional biblical image, highly unorthodox images, knowing that people would calmly and unperturbedly look at the most monstrous heresy, since they usually only see what they want to see. If you have been called upon to write a Christian scene, and you have presented to the public something which at first sight is similar and responsive to their wishes, people will never look for ambiguous symbolism.

At the same time, Leonardo had to hope that perhaps there were others who shared his unusual interpretation of the New Testament, who would recognize secret symbolism in the painting. Or someone someday, some objective observer will one day understand the image of the mysterious woman associated with the letter “M”, and ask questions that clearly follow from this. Who was this “M” and why is she so important? Why did Leonardo risk his reputation—even his life, in those days when heretics were burning at the stake everywhere—to include her in a fundamental Christian scene? Whoever she is, her fate cannot but cause alarm as the outstretched hand cuts her gracefully arched neck. The threat contained in this gesture cannot be doubted.

Raised right before the face of the Savior forefinger with the other hand, with obvious passion, he threatens himself. But both Jesus and “M” look like people who do not notice the threat, each of them is completely immersed in the world of their thoughts, each in their own manner is serene and calm. But all together it looks as if the secret symbols were used not only to warn Jesus and the woman sitting next to him (?), but also to inform (or perhaps remind) the observer of some information that would be dangerous to make public in any other way. Did Leonardo use his creation to promulgate some special beliefs that would be simply madness to proclaim in the usual way? And could these beliefs be a message addressed to much more to a wide circle, and not just his immediate environment? Maybe they were intended for us, for the people of our time?

Young Apostle John or Mary Magdalene?

Let's get back to looking at this amazing creation. In the fresco on the right, from the observer's point of view, a tall bearded man is bent almost double, telling something to a student sitting at the edge of the table. At the same time, he almost completely turned his back to the Savior. The model for the image of this disciple - Saint Thaddeus or Saint Jude - was Leonardo himself. Note that images of Renaissance artists were usually either accidental or were made when the artist was a beautiful model. IN in this case we are dealing with an example of the use of an image by a follower of double entendre ( double meaning). (He was preoccupied with finding the right model for each of the apostles, as can be seen from his rebellious offer to the most irate prior of St. Mary's to serve as a model for Judas.) So why did Leonardo portray himself as so clearly turning his back on Jesus?

Moreover. Unusual hand aims a dagger at the stomach of a student sitting just one person from “M”. This hand cannot belong to anyone sitting at the table, since such a bend is physically impossible for the people next to the image of the hand to hold the dagger in this position. However, what is truly striking is not the very fact of the existence of a hand that does not belong to the body, but the absence of any mention of it in the works about Leonardo that we have read: although this hand is mentioned in a couple of works, the authors do not find anything unusual in it. As in the case of the Apostle John, who looks like a woman, nothing could be more obvious - and nothing more strange - once you pay attention to this circumstance. But this irregularity most often escapes the attention of the observer simply because this fact is extraordinary and outrageous.

We often hear that Leonardo was a devout Christian, religious paintings which reflect the depth of his faith. As we can see, at least one of the paintings contains images that are very dubious from the point of view of an orthodox Christian. Our further research, as we will show, has established that nothing could be so far from the truth as the idea that Leonardo was a true believer - by implication, a believer according to the canons of the generally accepted or at least acceptable form of Christianity. Already from the curious anomalous features of one of his creations we see that he was trying to tell us about another layer of meaning in a familiar biblical scene, about another world of faith hidden in the generally accepted images of wall paintings in Milan.

Whatever the meaning of these heretical irregularities - and the significance of this fact cannot be exaggerated - they were absolutely incompatible with the orthodox tenets of Christianity. This in itself is unlikely to be news to many modern materialists/rationalists, since for them Leonardo was the first true scientist, a man who had no time for any superstitions, a man who was the antithesis of all mysticism and occultism. But they also could not understand what appeared before their eyes. Depicting the Last Supper without wine is tantamount to depicting a coronation scene without a crown: the result is either nonsense, or the picture is filled with other content, and to such an extent that it represents the author as an absolute heretic - a person who has faith, but a faith that contradicts the dogmas of Christianity. Perhaps not just different, but in a state of struggle with the dogmas of Christianity. And in other works of Leonardo we have discovered his own peculiar heretical predilections, expressed in carefully crafted relevant scenes, which he would hardly have written exactly as he was simply an atheist earning his living. There are too many of these deviations and symbols to be interpreted as the mockery of a skeptic forced to work according to an order, nor can they be called simply antics, such as, for example, the image of St. Peter with a red nose. What we see in the Last Supper and other works is the secret code of Leonardo da Vinci, which we believe has a striking connection with our modern world.

One can argue what Leonardo believed or did not believe, but his actions were not just the whim of a man, undoubtedly extraordinary, whose whole life was full of paradoxes. He was reserved, but at the same time the soul and life of society; he despised fortune tellers, but his papers indicated large amounts, paid to astrologers; he was considered a vegetarian and had a tender love for animals, but his tenderness rarely extended to humanity; he zealously dissected corpses and observed executions with the eyes of an anatomist, was a deep thinker and a master of riddles, tricks and hoaxes.

With such a contradictory inner world it is likely that Leonardo's religious and philosophical views were unusual, even strange. For this reason alone, it is tempting to dismiss his heretical beliefs as something of no relevance to our modern times. It is generally accepted that Leonardo was an extremely gifted man, but the modern tendency to evaluate everything in terms of "era" leads to a significant underestimation of his achievements. After all, at the time when he was in his creative prime, even printing was a novelty. What can one lone inventor, living in such primitive times, offer to a world that is bathed in an ocean of information through global network, a world that in a matter of seconds exchanges information via telephone and fax with continents that in his time had not yet been discovered?

There are two answers to this question. First: Leonardo was not, let's use the paradox, an ordinary genius. Majority educated people knows that he designed a flying machine and a primitive tank, but at the same time some of his inventions were so unusual for the time in which he lived that people with an eccentric turn of mind can imagine that he was given the power to foresee the future. His bicycle design, for example, became known only in the late sixties of the twentieth century. Unlike the painful trial-and-error evolution that the Victorian bicycle underwent, Leonardo da Vinci's road eater already had two wheels and a chain drive in its first edition. But what is even more striking is not the design of the mechanism, but the question of the reasons that prompted the invention of the wheel. Man has always wanted to fly like a bird, but the dream of balancing on two wheels and pressing the pedals, taking into account the deplorable state of the roads, already smacks of mysticism. (Remember, by the way, that unlike the dream of flying, it does not appear in any classic plot.) Among many other statements about the future, Leonardo also predicted the appearance of the telephone.

Even if Leonardo were an even greater genius than the history books say, the question still remains unanswered: what possible knowledge could he have possessed if what he proposed made sense or became widespread only five centuries after his time. One can, of course, make the argument that the teachings of a first-century preacher would seem to have even less relevance to our time, but the indisputable fact remains: some ideas are universal and eternal, the truth, found or formulated, does not cease to be the truth after the passage of centuries. ..

(to be continued)

"The Da Vinci Code" (scandalous novel by Dan Brown)

Particularly heated debates erupted in the world after the film adaptation of Dan Brown's scandalous novel " The Da Vinci Code", where, among other things, he states that Mary Magdalene was not only the beloved disciple of Jesus, but also the consort, that is, the wife . The book has been translated into 44 languages ​​and published in a total circulation of more than 81 million copies. "The Da Vinci Code" tops the New York Times bestseller list, considered by many to be best book decades. The novel, written in the genre of an intellectual detective thriller, was able to awaken widespread interest in the legend of the Holy Grail and the place of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity.

However, the Christian world reacted very sharply to the release of the book and film; Dan Brown's version was destroyed with a thousand critical responses and comments. One of the zealous ministers of religion put it most eloquently, even calling for a boycott of the film: “piercingly anti-Christian, full of slander, crimes and historical and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospel and a hostile church.” However, putting aside religious narrow-mindedness, one thing can be said for sure: none of the critics was alive then, and real story can't know. It may be known to the one whose name is inscribed in the title of our site, and we will return to his words.

SKETCH FOR "THE LAST SUPPER"

Well, now let's look at Leonardo Da Vinci's blank, a surviving sketch for The Last Supper. Second figure from the left, in top row, feminine outlines, smoother and lighter forms are clearly visible. Who is this if not a woman?

SUMMARY

Everyone sees what they want to see, this is one of the mysterious laws of human consciousness. And if a person’s consciousness believes that white is black, it will confidently prove that it is right. We were not present at the painting of the famous monumental painting by the brilliant artist, just as we were not present at the epoch-making events in the life of Jesus Christ, and therefore it would be fairer to end this article with the statement that we cannot know for sure whether it is John or Mary, but subjectively, in the picture Leonardo Da Vinci is a woman, and therefore none other than the beloved disciple of Jesus - Mary Magdalene. The Church’s opinion that the Apostle John the Theologian is in the picture is of the same degree of subjectivity. 50/50 - no more!!!

Prepared by Dato Gomarteli (Ukraine-Georgia)

PS: another reproduction, photo of the “Last Supper” mosaic from St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg, and again we see a woman:

Last Supper.

Location and history of creation:

The famous fresco is in the churchSanta Maria delle Grazie, located on the square of the same name in Milan. Or rather, on one of the walls of the refectory. According to historians, the artist specifically depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were in the church at that time. By this he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer to people than they seem.

The painter received an order to paint the work from his patron, the Duke of Milan.Ludovico Sforzain 1495. The ruler was famous for his dissolute life and from a young age was surrounded by young bacchantes. The situation did not change at all because the Duke had a beautiful and modest wife.Beatrice d'Este, who sincerely loved her husband and, due to her meek disposition, could not contradict his way of life. We must admit thatLudovico Sforzahe sincerely revered his wife and was attached to her in his own way. But the dissolute duke felt the true power of love only at the moment of the sudden death of his wife. The man's grief was so great that he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when I came out, the first thing I did was orderLeonardo da Vincifresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.

The work was completed in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 cm. Many connoisseurs of the artist’s work agreed that it was best"Last Supper"You can see it if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. Moreover, there is something to see. Already during the author’s lifetime, the fresco was considered his best work. Although, calling the painting a fresco would be incorrect. The fact is thatLeonardo da VinciI wrote the work not on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, in order to be able to edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempra to the wall, which subsequently did a disservice, beginning to collapse just 20 years after the painting was painted. But more on that later.

Idea of ​​the piece:

"The Last Supper"depicts the last Easter dinner of Jesus Christ with his disciples and apostles, which took place in Jerusalem on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to scripture, Jesus said during a meal that one of the apostles would betray him.Leonardo da VinciI tried to depict the reaction of each of the students to the prophetic phrase of the Teacher. To do this, he walked around the city, talked to ordinary people, made them laugh, upset them, and encouraged them. And at the same time he observed the emotions on their faces. The author's goal was to depict the famous dinner from a purely human point of view. That is why he depicted everyone present in a row and did not draw a halo above anyone’s head (as other artists liked to do).

Now we have reached the most interesting part of the article: the secrets and features hidden in the work of the great author.

1. According to historians, the most difficult thing isLeonardo da Vincigiven the writing of two characters: Jesus and Judas. The artist tried to make them the embodiment of good and evil, so for a long time he could not find suitable models. One day, an Italian saw a young singer in a church choir - so spiritual and pure that there was no doubt left: here he was - the prototype of Jesus for him."Last Supper". But, despite the fact that the image of the Teacher was painted,Leonardo da VinciI corrected it for a long time, considering it insufficiently perfect.

The last unwritten character in the picture was Judas. The artist spent hours wandering through the worst places, looking for a model to paint among the degraded people. And now, almost 3 years later, he got lucky. An absolutely degenerate guy was lying in a ditch, in a state of severe alcoholic intoxication. The artist ordered him to be brought to the studio. The man could hardly stand on his feet and had no idea where he was. However, after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. To the author’s bewilderment, the man replied that three years ago he was completely different, led a correct lifestyle and sang in the church choir. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him. Thus, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were based on the same person at different periods of his life. This once again emphasizes the fact that good and evil go so close that sometimes the line between them is imperceptible.

By the way, while workingLeonardo da Vincidistracted by the abbot of the monastery, who constantly hurried the artist and argued that he should paint a picture for days, and not stand in front of it in thought. One day the painter could not stand it and promised the abbot to write off Judas from him if he did not stop interfering in the creative process.

2. The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of the disciple located at the right hand of Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not Jesus' mistress, as is commonly believed, but his legal wife. This fact is confirmed by the letter “M”, which is formed by the contours of the couple’s bodies. Supposedly it means the word "Matrimonio", which translated means "marriage". Some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature is visible in the paintingLeonardo da Vinci- letter "V". The first statement is supported by the mention that Mary Magdalene washed Christ’s feet and dried them with her hair. According to traditions, only a legal wife could do this. Moreover, it is believed that the woman was pregnant at the time of her husband’s execution and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, who marked the beginning of the Merovingian dynasty.

3. Some scholars argue that the unusual arrangement of the students in the picture is not accidental. They sayLeonardo da Vinciplaced people by... zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.

4. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the bombing during the Second World War, a shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything except the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Although, the people themselves not only did not take care of the work, but also treated it in a truly barbaric manner. In 1500, a flood in the church caused irreparable damage to the painting. But instead of restoring the masterpiece, the monks in 1566 made a hole in the wall with the image"Last Supper"a door that “cut off” the characters’ legs. A little later, the Milanese coat of arms was hung over the Savior’s head. And at the end of the 17th century, the refectory was turned into a stable. The already dilapidated fresco was covered with manure, and the French competed with each other: who would hit the head of one of the apostles with a brick. However, there were"Last Supper"and fans. The French king Francis I was so impressed by the work that he seriously thought about how to transport it to his home.

5. No less interesting are the thoughts of historians about the food depicted on the table. For example, near JudasLeonardo da Vincidepicted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered a bad omen), as well as an empty plate. But the biggest point of controversy is still the fish in the picture. Contemporaries still cannot agree on what is painted on the fresco - a herring or an eel. Scientists believe that this ambiguity is not accidental. The artist specifically encrypted the hidden meaning in the painting. The fact is that in Italian “eel” is pronounced “aringa”. We add one more letter, and we get a completely different word - “arringa” (instruction). At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means "one who denies religion." For the atheist artist, the second interpretation is closer.

As you can see, in one single picture there are hidden many secrets and understatements, which more than one generation has been struggling to uncover. Many of them will remain unsolved. And contemporaries will only have to speculate andrepeat a masterpiece the great Italian in paints, marble, sand, trying to extend the life of the fresco.

"The Last Supper" is one of outstanding works Renaissance era. And one of the most mysterious. Today, the best art historians are working on deciphering the symbols of the fresco. The editors of Interesting to Know have collected the most interesting guesses, versions and proven facts about one of the most recognizable works of Leonardo da Vinci.

"The Last Supper"

The famous fresco is located in the refectory of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy). And it was commissioned by the artist’s patron, the Duke of Milan, Louis Sforza. . The ruler was a supporter of an openly dissolute life, and his beautiful and modest wife Beatrice d’Este did not in the least prevent the young duke from living the way he was used to. His wife, by the way, loved him deeply and sincerely, and Louis himself was attached to her in his own way. And after sudden death The Duke, in grief, did not leave his room for about two weeks. And when he came out, the first thing he did was turn to da Vinci with a request to paint a fresco, which his wife had asked for during his lifetime. By the way, after the death of Beatrice, the Duke forever stopped all kinds of entertainment at court.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)

Da Vinci began work on the fresco in 1495; its dimensions are 880 by 460 cm. Although, the painting should be called a fresco with a small reservation: after all, the artist did not work on wet plaster, but on dry one. This little trick allowed him to edit the painting several times. And taking into account the fact that “The Last Supper” was finally ready only in 1498, this was a technical necessity.

Already during the artist’s lifetime, “The Last Meal of Jesus Christ” was considered his best work. According to scripture, it was during dinner that Jesus told the apostles about imminent betrayal. Da Vinci wanted to depict what was happening solely from a human point of view. And he looked for the emotions that the apostles experienced among ordinary people. By the way, it is believed that this is precisely why there are no halos over the heroes. To depict his reaction to the Teacher’s words, he wandered around the city for hours, started conversations with strangers, made them laugh, upset them and observed the changes in their faces.

"Last Supper" in the refectory

Work on the fresco was almost completed; the last unpainted characters remained Jesus and Judas. It is believed that in these heroes the artist embodied the concepts of good and evil, and for a long time could not find models suitable for such absolute images. But one day da Vinci saw a young singer in the church choir. The young man made an indelible impression on the artist, and it was he who became the prototype of Jesus.

Judas remained the last unwritten character. In search of a model, the artist wandered for a long time through seedy places. A truly degraded man “had to” become Judas. And only 3 years later such a person was found - in a state of alcoholic intoxication, in a ditch, completely desolate and dirty. The artist ordered the drunkard to be brought to the workshop, where Judas was copied from the man. When the drunkard came to his senses, he went up to the fresco and said that he had seen the paintings. Da Vinci asked in bewilderment when this was... And the man replied that 3 years ago, when he was singing in a church choir, a certain artist approached him with a request to copy Christ from him. Thus, according to the assumptions of some historians, Jesus and Judas were based on the same person at different periods of his life.

Sketches of the Last Supper

While working, the artist was often hurried by the abbot of the monastery, he kept insisting that the picture should be painted, and not stand in front of it in thought. Then da Vinci threatened that if the abbot did not stop interfering, he would certainly write off Judas from him.

The most discussed figure in the fresco is the disciple located at the right hand of Christ. Presumably, the artist depicted Mary Magdalene. It is even believed that she was the wife of Jesus, and this is what da Vinci hinted at by positioning her in such a way that the opposite bodies of Jesus and Mary formed the letter “M” - “Matrimonio”, which translates as “marriage”. However, this assumption is disputed by other historians, who believe that the painting does not depict the letter “M” at all, but “V” - the artist’s signature. The first version is also supported by the fact that Mary Magdalene washed Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair, and according to tradition, only a legal wife could do this.

Jesus on the Last Supper fresco

There is also an interesting legend that the apostles were arranged by the artist according to the signs of the zodiac. And if you believe this version, then Jesus was a Capricorn, and Mary Magdalene was a virgin.

An even more interesting fact is that during the bombing during World War II, almost the entire church building was destroyed, except for the wall with the fresco. The people themselves, in general, took little care of the Renaissance masterpiece, and treated it far from mercifully. For example, after the flood of 1500, which caused serious damage to the painting, it was never restored. In 1566 in the wall "Last Supper" a door was made that “crippled” the heroes of the fresco. And in late XVII centuries, the refectory was converted into a stable.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene

Historians, by the way, disagree about the food depicted in the fresco. For example, the question of what kind of fish is depicted on the table - herring or eel - is still open. A number of researchers believe that this ambiguity was originally intended by da Vicney. The question is in some ways purely linguistic: in Italian “eel” is pronounced “aringa”, and if you double the “r”, you get a completely different meaning - “arringa” (instruction). At the same time, in Northern Italy, “herring” is pronounced “renga,” and in translation it also means “one who denies religion,” and da Vinci himself was one of those. By the way, near Judas there is an overturned salt shaker, which has been considered a bad omen since ancient times, and the table and dishes depicted in the picture are an exact copy those that were in the church at the time the picture was created.

A recent spate of books and articles has increasingly suggested that Leonardo da Vinci was the leader of an underground society and what he hid in his artistic works secret codes and messages. Is it true? In addition to his role in history as famous artist, scientist and inventor, was he also the keeper of some great secret that has been passed down through the centuries?

CIPHERS AND ENCRYPTION. LEONARDO DA VINCI'S ENCRYPTION METHOD.

Leonardo was, of course, no stranger to the use of codes and encryption. All his notes are written backwards, mirrored. Why exactly Leonardo did this remains unclear. It has been suggested that he may have felt that some of his military inventions would be too destructive and powerful if they fell into the wrong hands. Therefore, he protected his papers using the write-back method. Other scientists point out that this type of encryption is too simple, because to decipher it you just need to hold the paper up to the mirror. If Leonardo used it for security, he was probably concerned with hiding the contents only from the casual observer.

Other researchers believe that he used backward writing simply because it was easier for him. Leonardo was left-handed, and writing backwards was less difficult for him than for a right-hander.

CRYPTEX

IN Lately many people credit Leonardo with inventing a mechanism called the cryptex. A cryptex is a tube that consists of a series of rings with the letters of the alphabet engraved on them. When the rings are turned so that some of the letters line up to form the password to open the cryptex - one of the end caps can be removed and the contents (usually a piece of papyrus wrapped around a glass container of vinegar) can be removed. If someone tries to get the contents by breaking the device, the glass container inside will crack and the vinegar will dissolve what is written on the papyrus.

In his popular book (fiction) The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown credits the invention of the cryptex to Leonardo da Vinci. But real evidence the fact that it was da Vinci who invented and/or designed this device is not true.

SECRETS OF THE MONA LISA PAINTING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI. THE SECRET OF GIOCONDA'S SMILE.

One popular idea is that Leonardo wrote secret symbols or messages in his works. Having analyzed his most famous painting, "Mona Lisa", many are sure that Leonardo used some tricks when creating the painting. Many people find Mona Lisa's smile particularly haunting. They say that it appears to change even though there is no change in the properties of the paint on the surface of the painting.

Professor Margaret Livingston of Harvard University suggests that Leonardo painted the edges of the portrait's smile so that they appear slightly out of focus. Because of this, they are easier to see in peripheral vision than when looking directly at them. This may explain why some people report that the portrait appears to smile more when they look directly at the smile.

Another theory proposed by Christopher Tyler and Leonid Kontsevich from Research Institute eyes Smith-Kettlewell says smiling appears to change due to variable levels of random noise in the human visual system. If you close your eyes in dark room You'll notice that everything isn't perfectly black. The cells in our eyes create low levels of "background noise" (we see this as tiny light and dark spots). Our brains usually filter this out, but Tyler and Kontsevich suggested that when looking at the Mona Lisa, these little dots could change the shape of her smile. To prove their theory, they placed several random sets of dots on the Mona Lisa painting and showed it to people. Some of the respondents said that Gioconda’s smile looked more joyful than usual, others thought on the contrary, that the dots darkened the portrait. Tyler and Kontsevich argue that noise, which is inherent in the human visual system, has the same effect. When someone looks at a painting, their visual system adds noise to the image and changes it, making the smile appear to change.

Why does Mona Lisa smile? Over the years, people have speculated: some thought she might have been pregnant, others found the smile sad and suggested she was unhappy in her marriage.

Dr. Lillian Schwartz from research center Bell Labs has come up with a theory that seems unlikely but intriguing. She thinks that Gioconda is smiling because the artist was playing a joke on the audience. She claims that the picture is not of a smiling young woman, that in fact it is a self-portrait of the artist himself. Schwartz noticed that when she used a computer to identify features in the Mona Lisa portrait and Da Vinci's self-portrait, they matched exactly. However, other experts note that this may be a result of both portraits being painted with the same paints and brushes, by the same artist, and using the same painting techniques.

THE SECRET OF THE PICTURE THE LAST SUPPER BY LEONARDO DA VINCI.

Dan Brown in his popular thriller The Da Vinci Code suggests that Leonardo's painting The Last Supper has a number of hidden meanings and symbols. In the fictional story, there is an early church conspiracy to suppress the importance of Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus Christ (history records - to the chagrin of many believers - that she was his wife). Allegedly, Leonardo was the head of a secret order of people who knew the truth about Magdalene and tried to preserve it. One way Leonardo did this was to leave clues in his famous work, The Last Supper.

The painting shows last supper Jesus with his disciples before his death. Leonardo tries to capture the moment when Jesus announces that he will be betrayed, and that one of the men at the table will be his betrayer. The most significant clue left by Leonardo, according to Brown, is that the disciple identified as John in the painting is actually Mary Magdalene. Indeed, if you take a quick look at the picture, it seems that this is really the case. The man pictured to the right of Jesus has long hair and smooth skin, which could be considered as female characteristics, compared to the rest of the apostles, who look a little rougher and appear older. Brown also points out that Jesus and the figure on his right hand together form the outline of the letter "M". Does this symbolize Mary or perhaps the wife (Matrimony in English for marriage, matrimony)? Are these the keys to secret knowledge left behind by Leonardo?

Despite the first impression that this figure looks more feminine in the picture, the question remains whether this figure also looked feminine to viewers of the era in which Leonardo painted this picture. Probably not. After all, John was considered the youngest of the disciples, and he was often depicted as a beardless youth with soft features and long hair. Today one can regard this person as a female being, but if you go back to Florence, in the fifteenth century, take into account the difference in cultures and expectations, try to delve into the ideas of those times about the feminine and masculine principles - you can no longer be sure that this is actually a woman . Leonardo was not the only artist who portrayed John in a similar way. Domenico Ghirlandaio and Andrea del Castagno wrote John in a similar way in their paintings:

"The Last Supper" by Domenico Ghirlandaio

In his Treatise on Painting, Leonardo explains that characters in a painting should be depicted based on their types. These types can be: "sage" or "crone". Each type has its own characteristics, for example: beard, wrinkles, short or long hair. John, as in the photo, at the Last Supper, represents the student type: a protege who has not yet matured. Artists of the era, including Leonardo, would have depicted this type, the "student", as a very young man with soft features. This is exactly what we see in the picture.

Regarding the outline of the "M" in the picture, this is a result of the way the artist composed the picture. Jesus, at the moment when he announces his betrayal, sits alone in the center of the picture, his body shaped like a pyramid, the disciples arranged in groups on either side of him. Leonardo often used the pyramid shape in the compositions of his works.

PRIORITY OF SION.

There are suggestions that Leonardo was the leader of a secret group called the Priory of Sion. According to the Da Vinci Code, the Priory's mission was to preserve Mary Magdalene's secret about her marriage to Jesus. But The Da Vinci Code is fiction, based on theories from a controversial "non-fiction" book called Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Richard Lee, Michael Baigent and Henry Lincoln, written in the early 1980s.

The book Holy Blood and Holy Grail, as evidence of Leonardo's membership in the Priory of Sion, provides a number of documents that are kept in National Library France, in Paris. While there is some evidence that an order of monks with this name existed as early as 1116 AD. e., and this medieval group has nothing in common with the Priory of Sion of the 20th century, but the years of da Vinci’s life: 1452 - 1519.

There are indeed documents confirming the existence of the Priory, but it is likely that they are part of a hoax conceived by a man named Pierre Plantard in the 1950s. Plantard and a group of like-minded right-wingers with anti-Semitic tendencies founded the Priory in 1956. By producing false documents, including forged genealogical tables, Plantard apparently hoped to prove that he was a Merovingian descendant and heir to the French throne. A document allegedly indicating that Leonardo, along with such luminaries as Botticelli, Isaac Newton and Hugo, were members of the Priory of Sion organization - with a high probability, may also be fake.

It is unclear whether Pierre Plantard also tried to perpetuate the story of Mary Magdalene. He is known to have claimed that the Priory possessed the treasure. Not a set of priceless documents, as in The Da Vinci Code, but a list sacred objects, written on a copper scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in the 50s. Plantard told interviewers that the Priory would return the treasure to Israel when "the time is right." Experts' opinions on this matter are divided: some believe that there is no scroll, some believe that it is fake, and some that it is real, but does not rightfully belong to the Priory.

The fact that Leonardo da Vinci was not a member secret society, as shown in The Da Vinci Code, is no reason to stop admiring his talent. Enabling this historical figure into contemporary fiction is intriguing, but in no way overshadows his achievements. His works of art have been and are a source of inspiration for millions over the centuries and contain subtleties that even the best experts are still trying to unravel. Moreover, his experiments and inventions characterize him as a progressive thinker whose research goes far beyond the scope of his contemporaries. Main secret Leonardo da Vinci is that he was a genius, but at that time not many people could understand this.