Last Supper - Artistic Depictions

Artistic Depictions

Main article: Last Supper in Christian art

The Last Supper has been a popular subject in Christian art. Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art date back to early Christianity and can be seen in the Catacombs of Rome. Byzantine artists frequently focused on the Apostles receiving Communion, rather than the reclining figures having a meal. By the Renaissance, the Last Supper was a favorite topic in Italian art.

There are three major themes in the depictions of the last supper. The first theme is the dramatic and dynamic depiction of Jesus' announcement of his betrayal. The second theme is the moment of the institution of the tradition of the Eucharist. The depictions here are generally solemn and mystical. The third major theme is the farewell of Jesus to his disciples, in which Judas Iscariot is no longer present, having left the supper. The depictions here are generally melancholy, as Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure. There are also other, less frequently depicted scenes, such as the washing of the feet of the disciples.

Well known examples include Leonardo da Vinci's depiction, which is considered the first work of High Renaissance art due to its high level of harmony, Tintoretto's depiction which is unusual in that it includes secondary characters carrying or taking the dishes from the table and Salvadore Dali's depiction combines the typical Christian themes with modern approaches of Surrealism.


  • Communion of the Apostles, by Fra Angelico, with donor portrait, 1440-41

  • Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1480, depicting Judas separately

  • The first Eucharist, depicted by Juan de Juanes, mid-late 16th century

  • Valentin de Boulogne, 1625-1626

Read more about this topic:  Last Supper

Famous quotes containing the words artistic and/or depictions:

    “[The pleasures of writing] correspond exactly to the pleasures of reading, the bliss, the felicity of a phrase is shared by writer and reader: by the satisfied writer and the grateful reader, or—which is the same thing—by the artist grateful to the unknown force in his mind that has suggested a combination of images and by the artistic reader whom his combination satisfies.”
    —Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)

    “Surely, of all creatures we eat, we are most brutal to snails. Helix optera is dug out of the earth where he has been peacefully enjoying his summer sleep, cracked like an egg, and eaten raw, presumably alive. Or boiled in oil. Or roasted in the hot ashes of a wood fire.... If God is a snail, Bosch’s depictions of Hell are going to look like a vicarage tea-party.”
    —Angela Carter (1940–1992)