The history of the painting The Last Supper. last supper

Gospel of John, 15:12

On the eve of suffering on the cross and death, the Lord Jesus Christ celebrated His last meal with the disciples - the Last Supper.

In Jerusalem, in the Zion Upper Room, the Savior and the apostles celebrated the Old Testament Passover, established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery.

According to the Old Testament tradition, on this day the Easter egg was supposed to be slaughtered and eaten. The Lamb was a type of the incarnate Son of God, slain on the Cross for the sins of the whole world.

On the eve of the Last Supper, Christ sent two disciples to Jerusalem to prepare the upper room - the place for the Passover meal. The Savior said that on the way they would meet a man carrying a jug of water. The apostles must follow him to the house to which he is going, and say to the owner of that house: "".
Everything happened as the Lord said. The owner of the house provided the apostles with an upper room, and they prepared Passover there.

Evangelist John begins the story of the Last Supper with touching words: "". In these words both the divinity and humanity of Christ are revealed. As God, He knows that the hour of His suffering is approaching and voluntarily goes to meet it. As a person, he is sad about the upcoming separation from his disciples, and he fully expresses his love for them during the Last Supper.

This love was especially manifested in the fact that the Lord personally fulfilled the custom that existed among the Jews. Before supper it was necessary to wash one's feet. This was usually done by a servant, going around to all the guests with a washbasin and a towel.

But the disciples had already reclined for their meal. None of them performed this service for the Savior and their brothers. They even began to argue about which of them should be considered greater.

Seeing this, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself showed an example of endless humility and love. He took off His outer clothing, took a vessel of water and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with a towel.

According to Saint Theophylact of Bulgaria, the Lord wanted to teach the apostles the deep humility with which His entire earthly ministry was filled. Being the Almighty Creator and Ruler of the Universe, in the name of love and unity, the Lord condescended to the duties of a slave.

He walked this path to the end and ascended to the Cross. Few people living at that time would believe that the mocked and crucified man was Almighty God. But already on the eve of these events, the Lord prepares the disciples for the test of their faith, showing by His example that the power of God lies, first of all, in sacrificial love and service to one’s neighbor. Having finished washing his feet, the Lord, as the evangelists write, "". Preparing to give the disciples the last farewell instructions and perform the great Sacrament, He grieved that at these solemn moments there was a traitor among them. “,” said the Savior.

The Apostle John, Christ's beloved disciple, reclining next to Him at the Easter meal, quietly asked: "" The answer was: "". And, dipping a piece of bread in solilo (a special sauce made from dates and figs), Christ gave it to Judas.
Usually, at the Easter supper, pieces of bread were distributed by the head of the family - as a sign of special favor. By doing this, Christ wanted to awaken a sense of repentance in Judas. But the opposite happened. As the Evangelist John testifies, "".

Having given communion to the apostles, the Lord gave the commandment to always perform this Sacrament: "". From now until the end of time Christian church at each Divine Liturgy he performs the Sacrament of the Eucharist - the greatest sacrament of the union of believers with Christ. Every time we come to the Liturgy, we find ourselves at the Last Supper, where the Lord teaches us His Body and Blood. By partaking of His Holy Mysteries, we partake of Divine love, we partake of the Divinity Himself...

Easter in the Old Testament Church is a holiday of remembrance of the exodus from Egypt, from the house of slavery, of the first night of freedom. Yesterday's slaves, leaving Egypt, gain freedom, the contours of which are not yet clear to them. According to Jewish lunar calendar Passover is celebrated on the same day, the 15th of Nisan. According to our lunisolar – Julian or Gregorian – calendar, this day falls on different dates.

The commandment to celebrate Passover is already in the book of Exodus:

“Observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread... for in it you came out of Egypt.” () .

In the Irmos of the first song of one of the canons, which is sung during Matins, this event is narrated as follows: “Like dry land, Israel walked with footsteps across the abyss...”

On this day, Jews baked unleavened bread - matzot- as a sign that they were in a hurry, leaving Egypt, and therefore could not bake leavened bread. In addition, leaven is a symbol of fermentation, decomposition; Unleavened bread, on the contrary, is a symbol of purity, untouched by decay. Therefore, in Jewish families from ancient times to the present day, two days before Passover - the 13th of the month of Nisan - the owner destroys the leaven so that there is no leavened bread left in the house. On this day, the Passover lamb was slaughtered in the Jerusalem Temple. After the destruction of the Temple, this custom was abolished. But still in memory of how the Jews first baked matzot, every spring, for every Easter, this unleavened bread is baked.

The Passover meal in Hebrew is called the word seder(order). The Passover lamb is obligatory (after the destruction of the Temple by Emperor Justinian, the lamb began to be replaced with a piece of matzah), matzot; a bowl of salt water, symbolizing the tears shed by the Jews in Egypt, and at the same time - the salty waters of the Red Sea, through which Israel crossed “like dry land”, leaving slavery for freedom; set of bitter herbs ( Maror), reminiscent of the bitterness of slavery; looks better- a paste of apples, dates, cinnamon sprigs and nuts - in memory of those bricks made of straw and clay that the Jews made in Egypt when they were slaves; four cups of wine - like symbol of four God's promises to His people: to bring them out from under the yoke, to save them, to accept them to Himself and to be their God.

The main thing in the Passover holiday among the Jews is ciccaron(memory). In one of the Talmudic treatises, which says how to celebrate Easter, there are the following words: “In every generation, every person should feel as if he himself had come out of Egypt.” Not his distant, distant ancestors more than three thousand years ago, but he himself.

…The disciples ask Christ where they can prepare Easter. The Savior sends them to a house where they must find - and find - an upper room covered with carpets. In this upper room, “when the hour had come, He lay down, and the twelve apostles with Him.” () . The verb “to lie down” indicates one very important circumstance. They reclined at the Easter meal, thereby emphasizing that this was a meal for free people. The slave eats standing up, swallowing pieces in a hurry - he has no time for a meal. A free person can recline while eating. The fact that “He reclined” and “they reclined” is stated in two more verses - in the Gospels of Matthew (26: 20) and from Mark (14:18) .

Jesus takes the bread, then the wine. Bread and wine are the two central elements of the Last Supper, as they are at the Jewish Passover Seder. Evangelist Luke mentions the cup - in Greek it is called triblion, and Saints Cyril and Methodius translated this word as “salted.” Solilo is a bowl of salty water. Slavic first teachers translated this word according to its meaning, and not literally. From the Gospel of John it is clear that it was a cup with some kind of liquid, for Jesus dipped bread into it. In Greek there is no direct reference to liquid, but the participle is used bapsas, that is, “dipping” (in some liquid) a piece of bread. Jesus then gave it to Judas.

While celebrating the Last Supper, the Lord says: “Do this in remembrance of Me” - this means that He used the word ciccaron, which is so important in the Passover ritual of the Jews. Finally, in the Gospel of Luke (22: 17-18) it speaks of one more cup of wine, besides the one that Jesus took at the end of the Last Supper and blessed with the words: “... this cup is the new covenant in My Blood, which is shed for you” () . At the very beginning of the Supper, He “took the cup and gave thanks, saying: Take it and divide it among yourselves, for I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And then, “taking the bread and giving thanks, he broke it.” For previous interpreters of the Gospel, this passage about the first cup has always been very difficult. Why is this cup at the beginning of the meal? But if we look at Easter Haggadah (practical guide, according to which the Passover meal is celebrated among the Jews), we learn that the meal begins with a custom called Kiddush(sanctification). The head of the family takes the cup, blesses it, reads a prayer over it, and then this cup is passed around the circle. And everyone reads something like this prayer over the cup: “Blessed are You, God Almighty, King of the Universe, Who created the fruit of the vine.” In the Gospel the Savior says: “I will not drink from grape fruit» () , i.e. as if repeating the words from this prayer. The cup with which the Jews begin the Passover meal is, without a doubt, the cup spoken of in the Gospel of Luke.

Comparing the Gospel story with the Passover Haggadah, we see that the Lord performs the Passover Seder at the Last Supper; at the same time, at this meal - as we know from the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the First Epistle to the Corinthians of the Apostle Paul - there is no Passover lamb, although at that time the Jerusalem Temple had not yet been destroyed and the custom of slaughter existed. The question arises: why is there no lamb at the Last Supper? The Apostle Paul helps us answer this in his First Epistle to the Corinthians: “Our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us.” () ; in other words, Jesus is our Passover Lamb. Before the Apostle Paul, John the Baptist spoke about the same thing, directly calling the Savior the Lamb of God: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” () . It is well known that in the first centuries church history Christ was usually depicted as a Lamb. Today, the prosphora, on which the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated during the Liturgy, is called lamb, the Eucharistic bread – “lamb” – is cut out of it.

So Jesus takes the bread and blesses it, saying a prayer, and then says: “...this is My body, which is given for you.” () . “This is My Body” - this exclamation is reminiscent of a phrase from Haggadah: “This is the scanty bread that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.” This is another parallel between the Last Supper and the Passover meal of the Jews.

As it should be for Easter Agade, Christ at the end of the Last Supper, the Apostle Paul emphasizes, takes the cup of wine and blesses it. This ends the Passover meal. Blessing the cup of wine, Christ says: “... this is My Blood of the new testament” () , quoting words from the book of Exodus (24: 8) . So Jesus carried out a ritual that had been performed annually in Palestine for more than a thousand years. But at the same time, He gave people not bread and wine, but Himself in the form of bread and wine: “Take, eat...” Not meager bread, but His Body and His Blood.

IN late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, Russian philosophers V. Solovyov, N. Berdyaev and others asked the question: how does Christianity differ from everything else that humanity has accumulated over millennia of history? And they came to the same answer: Western (Roman, Greek) and Eastern (Indian, Chinese, Egyptian) teachers - all offered people their doctrine. Christ proposed Yourself. This is the main distinguishing feature Christianity was most fully manifested precisely in the Last Supper. Even earlier, Christ spoke about this directly, exclaiming: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” () . And further: “... truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” () .

The repetition of that Last Supper, when on the eve of His suffering the Lord taught the disciples the sacrament of the Eucharist, lies the basis of Christian life. “Do this in remembrance of Me,” says Jesus at the end of the Last Supper () , therefore, the repetition of the Last Supper according to these words of His becomes the Liturgy of our Church.

Just like a Jew who commits seder, feels that it was he himself who left Egyptian captivity, and a Christian feels during the Eucharist that he is a participant in the Last Supper. We express this feeling in the prayer that is read before communion: “Today Your Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me as a partaker.”

On Easter night, the ancient meal acquires a new, mystical meaning from Christ and His disciples. The famous French theologian Louis Bouyer said about this: “The Lord introduced all the novelty of the Gospel into the carefully observed lines of the solemn order, saturated with the most revered traditions of Israel.” And indeed it is.

It is important to keep in mind that Eucharistic mysticism is not a mysticism for the elite, a narrow circle of initiates, it is a mysticism accessible to everyone. Because even those who, for some reason, cannot believe in transubstantiation, the transmutation of the Holy Gifts, proceed to the Holy Mysteries and receive communion according to the word of Jesus: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” And everyone who loves Christ becomes a true participant in the Last Supper, doing this in remembrance of Jesus, even if they do not fully understand the meaning of the Eucharist.

But still - is it Easter? seder What did the Lord do that evening with His disciples?

Some commentaries on the New Testament argue that there are serious discrepancies in the dating of Christ's meal between the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—and the Gospel of John. I have already talked about some of the features of the Jewish Seder. So, from the beginning of the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, it becomes clear that Jesus eats the Passover meal on the first day of unleavened bread. You can find other details confirming that in the stories of the three evangelists we are talking specifically about Passover Seder.

But what does the Evangelist John say?

Jesus is captured and taken from Caiaphas to the praetorium. “It was morning; and they (the Jews. - G.Ch.) did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled, but so that they could eat the Passover" () .

This means that the Lord is already in custody, and the Passover meal has not yet begun. Next chapter: “Then it was the Friday before Easter, and it was six o’clock. And Pilate said to the Jews: Behold, your King!” () .

This means that Jesus is already in custody, and it’s only the Friday before Easter. Earlier, at the beginning of the 13th chapter, it is also emphasized that the Supper takes place before the Easter holiday. The Evangelist John is echoed by the Talmud, where one of the treatises says that Yeshua ben Panther, that is, Jesus the Son of the Virgin, was executed on the evening before Easter. The question arises: who is right – the weather forecasters or John and, accordingly, the Talmud?

Secular scientists are trying to answer exactly this question: who is right? We know that the Holy Scriptures do not err. So, you just need to understand what the essence of this discrepancy is. If you read the Gospel text shallowly, superficially, it may seem that there are contradictions in Scripture. But if you study it in depth, it turns out that there are no contradictions in it.

It appears that Jesus actually died on the eve of Easter because, first, the account of Christ's passion in John's Gospel is extremely reliable. Studies of the text show that this is a very ancient story. Secondly, such dissimilar sources as the Gospel of John and the Talmud speak about the same thing. And when two seemingly mutually exclusive sources report the same information, this is quite reliable evidence of its authenticity.

On the other hand, the weather forecasters, of course, describe the Easter meal. But there is no lamb at this Passover meal...

It couldn't exist, because this the meal is finished Savior in advance. If we open any prophetic text - the books of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel - we will see that many of the sayings of the prophets are directed to the future. They talk about what will happen in the distant future, in eight, nine, ten centuries. In the Gospels, it’s just the opposite; the key words in them are “now”, “today”. Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified” () ; “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” () ; “Now salvation has come to this house” () ; “Today this scripture has been fulfilled” () … “But the time will come, and it has already come,” Jesus says twice in the Gospel of John (4:23; 5: 25) . In other words, all Christianity is a future that is being realized now. “And Thy Kingdom,” we pray during the Liturgy, “thou hast granted (that is, has already granted. - G.Ch.) future". Christians of the Middle Ages believed that the Kingdom of God is what awaits a person sometime in the future, after death. But we know that this Kingdom has already been given to us. Christianity is our fearless entry into the future today. Emphasizing this, the Lord prepares the meal in advance, showing that He and the apostles are entering the future.

We become citizens of the future through Eucharistic communion. If you understand this, it will become clear that there are no contradictions in the texts of the weather forecasters and John - because the weather forecasters tell us about the circumstances of the Last Supper, and John accurately dates it and repeats the words of the Savior: “The time will come, and it has already come.” This is our entry into the future.

In the Gospel of Luke (chapter 24) there is a story about another meal. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus interprets Scripture to the disciples, and then takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them. Let us compare this story with the story of how the Apostle Paul celebrates the sacrament of the Eucharist. At Troas, “when the disciples were gathered together to break bread,” Paul “conversed with them and continued speaking until midnight,” and then broke the bread () . Saint Justin Martyr, who lived in the 2nd century, says that during the sacrament of the Eucharist, one of the Epistles of the Apostle Paul and prophetic texts were first read, then a sermon was delivered, after which prayers and the Eucharist were performed.

Thus, the sacrament of the Eucharist, or the Breaking of Bread, was combined with the reading of Scripture and preaching. And to this day the Liturgy consists of two parts: the Liturgy of the Catechumens, or Liturgy of the word, when the 102nd and 145th psalms are sung, the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” and then the text of one of the Apostolic Epistles is read and a sermon is preached; And Liturgies of the Faithful when, in fact, the sacrament of the Eucharist is performed. Texts from chapter 20 of the Acts of the Apostles and the testimony of Justin Martyr show that the structure of the mass dates back to apostolic times. The same division of the Liturgy into two equal parts is also indicated by its Latin name - missa; explains that after the sermon there is a “missa” (from the Latin verb mittere- “to let go”) for catechumens” (catechumens, not yet baptized), they are released, and “remain faithful.” The word “faithful” is not used here by chance - the service performed after the catechumens are dismissed is called the Liturgy of the Faithful.

So, the Lord uses an ancient ritual, which by the time of the Last Supper dates back more than a thousand years of history. If we look at the liturgical books of the Jews, we will find there the same elements of service that are present in the Liturgies or. This includes the offering of gifts, and incense, and washing of hands, and the dialogue of the one who performs the service with those praying. Among the Jews, the rabbi says: “Let us give thanks.” “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” the worshipers answer him. “We thank the Lord!” – exclaims the priest of the Orthodox Church today. “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible,” the choir answers him. “With your consent we will bless the One who gave us to participate in His benefits!” – then the leader of the Jewish service exclaims. And this also reminds us of our priestly exclamation: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ... be with you all!”

It is important to understand that Christ puts all the newness of the Gospel into the ancient ritual. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that liturgical mysticism becomes accessible not to a select few, but to everyone. The liturgy gives the believer the opportunity to live in the fullness of mystical union with Christ. Through it, a deep mystical and intimate union of everyone with Christ is achieved.

But at the same time - and this is the fundamental difference between the mysticism of Christianity and any other mysticism - through it, not only the unity of the believer with God is achieved, but also the unity of all participants in the sacrament with each other, both living and dead. Christ - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob - is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. God has everyone alive! The Gospel of John says that Jesus died to gather together the scattered children of God.

“The Didache” - the teaching of the twelve apostles - an ancient Christian text dating from around the end of the 1st century, when the direct disciples of the apostles were still alive, gives us a wonderful liturgical text, a prayer: “Just as this bread was scattered over the mountains and then gathered together, so grant, Lord, that it may be gathered together from all the ends of the earth into one Kingdom.” The Apostle Paul says: “There is one bread, and we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of one bread" () .

This mystical unity of everyone into a single body is very unlike non-Christian mystical systems, where a person, restoring a connection with God, on the contrary, breaks ties with the people around him; remaining alone with God, he leaves, breaks away from people, opposes himself to them. This is not the case in Christianity, in Orthodoxy, it has never happened and, let’s hope, it never will be - otherwise it will no longer be Orthodoxy.

"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps, is one of the top 3 most mysterious and controversial works of the famous Italian. A fresco that is not essentially a fresco. An experiment lasting three years. A fertile field for speculation about the meaning of symbols and authentic personalities depicted. An impossible challenge for restorers. All this is about one of the most famous works art in the world.

Bad luck begins: who ordered Leonardo's "Last Supper"

He also paid a lot of attention to the development Agriculture, industry, science and culture. Of the painters, he especially favored Leonardo da Vinci. His brush belongs to the portrait of Lodovico’s mistress and mother of his son Cecilia (Cecilia) Gallerani, better known as “The Lady with an Ermine”. Presumably, the painter immortalized the Duke's legal wife Beatrice d'Este, as well as his second favorite and the mother of another illegitimate son, Lucrezia Crivelli.

Lodovico's home church was the chapel at the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and its abbot was a close friend of the duke. The ruler of Milan sponsored a large-scale reconstruction of the church, which he saw as a future mausoleum and monument to the Sforza dynasty. The vanity plans were exacerbated by the sudden death of his wife Beatrice and daughter Bianca in 1497, two years after Leonardo began work on The Last Supper.

In 1495, when the painter received an order to paint one of the walls of the refectory chapel with a nine-meter fresco with a popular gospel story telling about last meeting Christ with the Apostles, where he first revealed the sacrament of the Eucharist to his disciples, no one could even suspect how long and difficult fate waiting for her.

Experimental art of Leonardo da Vinci

Instead of using the good old technique of applying tempera to fresh plaster (in fact, which gave the name to the fresco, which comes from the Italian fresco - “fresh”), Leonardo began to experiment. The subject of his experiments consistently became literally all the factors and stages involved in the creation of frescoes, starting from the construction of scaffolding, for which he tried to invent his own mechanisms, and ending with the composition of plaster and paints.

Firstly, the method of working on wet plaster was categorically not suitable for him, which set quite quickly and did not allow him to thoughtfully work on each fragment and endlessly refine it, bringing it to perfection, as Leonardo da Vinci usually painted his paintings. Secondly, traditional egg tempera did not provide the degree of brightness of the colors he needed, since it faded somewhat and changed color when drying. And mixing pigments with oil made it possible to obtain more expressive and brilliant paints. In addition, it was possible to achieve different densities of shades: from very thick and opaque to thin, luminous. This perfectly corresponded to da Vinci’s love for creating filigree light and shadow effects and his signature sfumato technique.

But that's not all. In order to make the oil emulsion more suitable for the requirements of wall painting, the painter decides to add egg yolk, thus obtaining a hitherto unprecedented “oil tempera” composition. As time will tell, in the long term the bold experiment did not justify itself.

It’s time to do: the long history of the creation of “The Last Supper”

Secondly, the long process meant a corresponding increase in financial costs for the painting, especially since a whole team worked on it. The scope of the preparatory work alone for the application of plaster, primer and white lead coating requires the involvement of all members of the Leonardo studio.

The abbot's patience gradually came to an end, and he complained to the duke about the slowness and laziness of the artist. According to the legend cited by Vasari in his Lives, da Vinci answered Lodovico in his defense that he could not find a suitable scoundrel to serve as a model for Judas. And that if a person of the required degree of disgusting is never found, he “he can always use the head of this abbot, so annoying and immodest”.

There is another legend about the sitter who posed for the painting of Judas. So beautiful that if the situation is far from reality, it would be worth inventing it. The artist seemed to be looking for his Judas among the very dregs of society, and in the end he chose the last drunkard from the gutter. The “model” could barely stand on her feet and didn’t think much, but when the image of Judas was ready, the drunkard peered at the painting and said that he had already had to pose for her before.

It turned out that three years before these events, when he was a young and chaste singer in a church choir, a certain painter noticed him and offered him the role of a model for the image of Christ. It turns out that the same person different periods In my life I happened to be both the embodiment of absolute purity and love, and the prototype of the greatest fall and betrayal. Beautiful parable about the fragile boundaries between good and evil and how hard it is to climb up and easy to slide down.

Escaping beauty: how many Leonardos are left in The Last Supper?

Numerous restorations and attempts to save the painting by the legendary Italian only aggravated the losses. British art critic Kenneth Clark in the 30s of the last century examined preparatory sketches and early copies of “The Last Supper” made by artists who took part in its creation. He compared them with what remained of the fresco, and his conclusions were disappointing: “Exaggerated grimacing faces, as if descended from Michelangelo’s Last Judgment,” belonged to the brush of a feeble mannerist of the 16th century.”.

The last and most extensive restoration was completed in 1999. It took about two decades and required an investment of more than 20 billion lire. And no wonder: the restorers had to work more delicately than jewelry: it was necessary to remove all the layers of early restorations, without damaging the crumbs that remained from the original painting. The head of the restoration work recalled that the fresco was treated like this: “as if she were a real invalid”.

Despite the voices of critics that as a result, the Last Supper has lost the “spirit of the original,” today it is still closer to what the monks of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie saw before them during the meal. The main paradox is that one of the most famous and recognizable works of art in the world contains only no more than 20 percent of the original.

In fact, this is now the embodiment of a collective interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s design, obtained through painstaking research and analysis of all available information. But, as often and densely happens in art world, the difficult fate of the exhibit only adds points and value to it (remember the story of the abduction and discovery of Davinci’s Mona Lisa, which brought her to the absolute top of mass culture).

Number 3

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.

Figure

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.

Gesture

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 reaching for him. right hand. At the same time, Jesus points to bread and wine, symbolizing the sinless body and shed blood respectively.

Analysis

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.

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.

Simon the Canaanite

Information in the Gospels about Simon the Canaanite is extremely scarce. He is mentioned in the lists of the apostles in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 10:4), Mark (Mark 3:18), Luke (Luke 6:15), as well as in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13). He is called Simon the Zealot or Simon the Zealot to distinguish him from Simon Peter. The New Testament does not provide any other information about the apostle. The nickname Zealot is sometimes interpreted as a commitment to Jewish nationalism (Zealots).

Simon the Canaanite is identified with the half-brother (from Joseph and Salome) of Jesus Christ, who celebrated the wedding in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine. He is identified with Simeon, an apostle of the 70, who became the second bishop of Jerusalem after the execution of James the Righteous.

Apostle Thaddeus

Brother of Jacob Alpheus, son of Alpheus or Cleopas.

Mentioned in the lists of the apostles in the Gospels of Luke (Luke 6:16) and John (John 14:22); and also in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13). In the Gospel of John, Judas asks Jesus at the Last Supper about his upcoming resurrection. Moreover, he is called “Judas, not Iscariot” to distinguish him from Judas, the traitor. According to legend, the Apostle Jude preached in Palestine, Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia, and died a martyr’s death in Armenia in the second half of the 1st century AD. e. The alleged grave is located on the territory of the Armenian monastery of St. Thaddeus in northwestern Iran. Part of the relics of the holy apostle resides in the Vatican in St. Peter's Basilica.

Levi Matthew

The only reliable fact reported by the Gospels is that Matthew Levi was a tax collector, that is, a tax collector. In the text of the Gospel of Matthew, the apostle is called “Matthew the Publican,” which perhaps indicates the author’s humility, since publicans were deeply despised by the Jews.

Apostle Philip

Mentioned in the lists of apostles in Matthew (10:3), Mark (3:18), Luke (6:14), and also in the Acts of the Apostles (1:13).

The Gospel of John reports that Philip was from Bethsaida, from the same city as Andrew and Peter, and was called third after them. Philip brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus (John 1:43-46). On the pages of the Gospel of John, Philip appears three more times: he talks with Jesus about bread for the multitude (John 6:5-7); brings Greeks (Hellenized Jews) to Jesus (John 12:20-22); asks Jesus to show the Father at the Last Supper (John 14:8-9).

Mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, Philip the Deacon or Philip the Evangelist is another person, the namesake of the Apostle Philip.

Eusebius of Caesarea cites a report from Clement of Alexandria that Philip was married and had daughters, with whom Papias was also acquainted. Philip preached the Gospel in Scythia and Phrygia. For his preaching activities he was executed (crucified head down) in the year 80 (during the reign of the Roman Emperor Titus in the city of Hierapolis Phrygian, in Asia Minor.

Jacob Zebedee

An apostle of Jesus Christ mentioned in the New Testament. Son of Zebedee, born in Palestine, was killed in 44 in Jerusalem. Elder brother of John the Evangelist.

Apostle Thomas

Thomas was chosen by Christ as one of the twelve apostles, as the evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us. However, they only mention the name of Thomas among the names of the other apostles.

On the contrary, John the Theologian informs us of Thomas's participation in several events gospel history, including the assurance of Thomas. According to the Gospel of John, Thomas was absent during the first appearance of Jesus Christ to the other apostles after the Resurrection from the dead and, having learned from them that Jesus had risen from the dead and came to them, he said: “If I do not see the wounds of the nails in His hands, I will not put I will not put my finger into the wound of the nails, and I will not put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Appearing to the apostles again, Jesus invited Thomas to put his finger into the wounds, after which Thomas believed and said: “My Lord and my God!”

The Gospel narrative leaves it unclear whether Thomas actually put his finger into Christ’s wounds or not. According to some theologians, Thomas refused to do this, while others believe that Thomas touched the wounds of Christ.

The expression “Doubting Thomas” (or “infidel”) has become a common noun and denotes an incredulous listener. The plot of Thomas's assurance has become a popular subject in gospel iconography.

Based on the story of the appearance of Jesus Christ to the apostles on the Sea of ​​Galilee, it can be assumed that the Apostle Thomas was originally a fisherman.

John the Theologian

One of the Twelve Apostles, son of Zebedee, also called the Theologian, evangelist, brother of the Apostle James. In the Gospel of Mark, together with his brother, Jesus is nicknamed “Son of Thunder” (Boanerges).

The Church Fathers considered him to be the same person as John the Evangelist, the "Beloved Disciple", although modern theologians and biblical scholars have no consensus regarding the identity of these people.

According to tradition, the majority Christian denominations, Apostle John is the author of the Gospel, the Book of Revelation and three epistles included in the New Testament.

Apostle Peter

Born in Bethsaida in the family of a simple fisherman Jonah. The original name of the apostle was Simon (Hebrew: Shimon). The name Peter (Petrus, from the Greek πέτρος - stone) arose from the nickname Cephas (Aramic - stone), which Jesus gave him. He was married and worked as a fisherman with his brother Andrey. When Jesus met Peter and Andrew, he said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Having become a disciple of Jesus Christ, he accompanied him in all the paths of his earthly life. Peter was one of Jesus' favorite disciples. When Jesus asked the disciples what they thought about Him, Peter said that He was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

By nature, Peter was very lively and hot-tempered: it was he who wanted to walk on water to approach Jesus, and it was he who cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in the Garden of Gethsemane. On the night after Jesus was arrested, Peter, as Jesus predicted, showed weakness and, fearing persecution, denied Him three times before the rooster crowed (see also the servant of the doorkeeper). But later Peter sincerely repented and was forgiven by the Lord.

Together with James and John, he was present on Mount Tabor when the transfiguration of Jesus took place.

Judas Iscariot

Among the apostles, Judas was in charge of their money, and then betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver.

After Jesus Christ was sentenced to crucifixion, Judas repented and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the high priests and elders, saying: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said to him: “What is that to us?” And, throwing the pieces of silver in the Temple, Judas went and hanged himself.

After the betrayal and suicide of Judas Iscariot, Jesus' disciples decided to choose a new apostle to replace Judas. They chose two candidates: “Joseph, called Barsaba, who was called Justus, and Matthias,” and after praying to God to indicate whom to make an apostle, they cast lots. The lot fell to Matthias, and he was numbered among the Apostles.

The name Judas became a common noun to denote betrayal.

Andrew the First-Called

In the life of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, it is mentioned that Andrew and his brother Simon (the future St. Peter) were Galilean fishermen, born and raised in Bethsaida (a city on the shore of Lake Gennesaret); their father's name was Jonah. Having matured, the brothers moved to Capernaum, where they acquired their own home and continued to fish.

Even in his youth, Andrei decided to devote himself to serving God. Maintaining chastity, he refused to marry. Hearing that on the Jordan River John the Baptist was preaching about the coming of the Messiah and calling for repentance, Andrei left everything and went to him. Soon the young man became John the Baptist's closest disciple.

The evangelists Matthew and John describe Andrew's meeting with Jesus differently.

Saint Andrew is called the First-Called because he was called the first of the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jacob Alfeev

An apostle of Jesus Christ mentioned in the New Testament. Brother of the Apostle Judas Jacob, possibly brother of the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew. In the three Gospels his name is given in the list of twelve, but no other information is given about him.

According to his life, Jacob was a publican, preached in Judea, and then, together with the Apostle Andrew, went to Edessa. Afterwards he independently preached in Gaza and Eleutheropolis (Southern Palestine).

Apostle Bartholomew

According to legend, Bartholomew, together with Philip, preached in the cities of Asia Minor, especially in connection with the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, the city of Hierapolis is mentioned. Tradition also reports about his trip to India and preaching in Armenia, where on Artashat Hill he met with the Apostle Judas Thaddeus ( armenian church honors them as its founders). Eusebius of Caesarea reports that in India Bartholomew left the Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew to the community he founded, which was found by the philosopher Panten, a teacher at the School of Alexandria

About the picture

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.

The painting was commissioned by Leonardo from his patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice d'Este. The lunettes above the painting, formed by a ceiling with three arches, are painted with the Sforza coat of arms. The painting began in 1495 and was completed in 1498; work proceeded intermittently. The date of the start of work is not certain, since "the archives of the monastery were destroyed, and the negligible part of the documents that we have dates back to 1497, when the painting was almost completed."

Three early copies of the painting are known to exist, presumably by Leonardo's assistant.

The painting became a milestone in the history of the Renaissance: the correctly reproduced depth of perspective changed the direction of the development of Western painting.

Each work of Leonardo da Vinci is unique and mysterious. There are many mysteries surrounding the Last Supper. Even the name of the canvas carries sacred meaning. There are many hidden messages and symbols in the work.

Not so long ago legendary work was restored. After the restoration of the canvas, it was possible to learn a lot of new things, although the entire meaning of the painting is still not clear. More and more new assumptions about hidden meaning paintings.

It is Leonardo da Vinci who is rightly considered the most mysterious person V fine arts. There are radically different opinions regarding his work. Some people consider Leonardo to be practically a holy man, while others are sure that he sold his soul to the devil. But, no matter what one’s opinion is about the work and personality of Leonadro da Vinci, no one doubts his genius.

The history of the painting

It’s hard to believe, but the monumental painting “The Last Supper” was made in 1495 by order of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. Despite the fact that the ruler was famous for his dissolute disposition, he had a very modest and pious wife, Beatrice, whom he, it is worth noting, greatly respected and revered.

But, unfortunately, the true power of his love was revealed only when his wife suddenly died. The Duke's grief was so great that he did not leave his own chambers for 15 days, and when he left, the first thing he did was order Leonardo da Vinci to paint a fresco, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever put an end to his riotous lifestyle.

The artist completed his unique creation in 1498. The dimensions of the painting were 880 by 460 centimeters. The Last Supper can be best seen if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. When creating the painting, Leonardo used egg tempera, which subsequently played a cruel joke on the fresco. The canvas began to collapse just 20 years after its creation.

Famous fresco located on one of the walls of the refectory in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. According to art historians, the artist specifically depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were used at that time in the church. With this simple technique, he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (Good and Evil) are much closer than we think.

1. The identities of the apostles depicted on the canvas have repeatedly become the subject of controversy. Judging by the inscriptions on the reproduction of the canvas kept in Lugano, these are (from left to right) Bartholomew, James the Younger, Andrew, Judas, Peter, John, Thomas, James the Elder, Philip, Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon Zelotes.

2. Many historians believe that the painting depicts the Eucharist (communion), since Jesus Christ points with both hands to the table with wine and bread. True, there is alternative version. It will be discussed below...

3. Many people know the story from school that Da Vinci found the most difficult images of Jesus and Judas. Initially, the artist planned to make them the embodiment of good and evil and for a long time could not find people who would serve as models for creating his masterpiece.

Once, during a church service, an Italian saw a young man in the choir, so spiritual and pure that there was no doubt: this was the incarnation of Jesus for his “Last Supper.”

The last character, the prototype of which the artist still could not find, was Judas. Da Vinci spent hours wandering the narrow Italian streets in search of suitable model. And now, 3 years later, the artist found what he was looking for. Lying in the ditch was a drunkard who had long been on the edge of society. The artist ordered the drunkard to be brought to his studio. The man practically could not stand on his feet and had little idea where he had ended up.

After the image of Judas was completed, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had seen it somewhere before. To the author’s bewilderment, the man replied that three years ago he was a completely different person - he sang in a church choir and led a righteous lifestyle. It was then that some artist approached him with a proposal to paint Christ from him.

Thus, according to historians, the same person posed for the images of Jesus and Judas at different periods of his life. This fact serves as a metaphor, showing that good and evil go hand in hand and there are very a fine line.

4. The most controversial is the opinion that sitting on the right hand of Jesus Christ is not a man at all, but none other than Mary Magdalene. Her location indicates that she was the legal wife of Jesus. The silhouettes of Mary Magdalene and Jesus form the letter M. It supposedly means the word matrimonio, which translates as “marriage.”

5. According to some scientists, the unusual arrangement of the students on the canvas is not accidental. They say that Leonardo da Vinci placed people according to zodiac signs. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a Virgo.

6. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the Second World War, as a result of a shell hitting the church building, almost everything was destroyed except the wall on which the fresco is depicted.

And before that, in 1566, local monks made a door in the wall with the image of the Last Supper, which “cut off” the legs of the characters in the fresco. 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.

7. No less interesting are the thoughts of people of art about the food depicted on the table. For example, near Judas Leonardo painted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered bad omen), as well as an empty plate.

8. There is an assumption that the Apostle Thaddeus, sitting with his back to Christ, is actually a self-portrait of da Vinci himself. And, given the artist’s disposition and his atheistic views, this hypothesis is more than likely.

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