"The Last Supper", by Leonardo da Vinci, has recently found itself in the spotlight world-wide because of the controversy generated by Dan Browns novel "The Da Vinci Code", and the recently released movie based on the book. This painting, an icon of the Renaissance long before Dan Brown came along, has inspired artists for generations, and in this article I would like to take a look at some of the technique and history behind it.

Da Vinci painted the Last Supper between 1495 and 1498 on one of the walls in the refrectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The fresco measures a whopping 1319 x 2910 (4.2 m x 9.1 m) and depicts the moment in the Gospels when Jesus reveals to his apostles that one of them will betray him. The Last Supper is in poor condition as a result of Leonardos technical methods. He was so sensitive to light and shadow in his paintings, that he would have been impatient with the traditional fresco method in which an artist painted very quickly on wet plaster. This technique would not have allowed him the time to perfect the tonal relationships in his painting, and so instead of using traditional fresco technique, he first prepared the wall with a base layer, then he built up his painting using layers of tempera. Unfortunately, moisture between the layers of paint prevented them from drying properly, and as soon as 1517 the painting began to flake off the wall.

The fresco was repainted twice in the 18th century, and once in the 19th century. It suffered under the hands of Napoleonic soldiers, and later Allied bombs during World War II. A more recent restoration, done by Pinin Brambilla Barcilon between 1978 and 1999, has used scientific testing and original drawings to reverse the damage of hundreds of years. The restoration has aroused considerable controversy, however, because it dramatically changed some colors and tones.

Leonardos Last Supper is an extraordinary piece of art for several reasons. First is in the composition; Christ is in the center of the painting, at the vanishing point for the perspective, so all of the perspective lines lead directly to him. In addition, the disciples around him have been divided neatly into four groups of three. Leonardo has thus created order out of a chaotic scene, and his use of the numbers three and four carries meaning because of their religious significance (three is the number of the trinity, there are three theological virtues, four Gospels, four cardinal virtues, etc.).

This painting is also significant because of the strong emotions depicted in the apostles reactions to Christs statement that one of them will betray him. We see St. Philip pointing his hands to his chest in protest that it could not be him (the third figure to the right of Jesus), and St. Matthew recoil as if shocked (the second figure to the right of Jesus). On the other hand, we see Judas (third figure to the left of Jesus) drawing away from Jesus and reaching for bread on the table, with his face in shadow.

Finally, this painting is a landmark in Renaissance art, because of the space that it depicts. Leonardo breaks with the contemporary illusionistic tradition, in which a painting is seen as an extension of the room in which the viewer is standing. The perspective was supposed to be consistent with the viewer, so that the viewer might almost think that they are looking through a window into another room. In the Last Supper, however, while the perspective is perfect, there is no place in the refectory that a viewer could stand where their eyes are on the same level as the vanishing point. The painting is not a continuation of the room, or a window, but a painting. This idea was to propel art into the High Renaissance, and later be adopted by other artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael.