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THE LAST SUPPERS OF
LEONARDO AND DURER
Leonardo da Vinci had painted his Last Supper by 1498. The series of wood
engravings by
Albrecht Durer known as The Passion included a Last Supper and
can be dated from between 1509 and 1511. In little over a decade, the
Renaissance had been given its most important prototypes for one of the
favourite subjects of 16th-century sacred art - the renewed interest
in this subject coincided with the debate on the doctrine of the
Eucharist stimulated by the Reformation. The iconography of
Leonardo's version is rich in new ideas, some taken from the
Dominican culture of the monastery in which the work was painted and
some linked to the figurative tradition of Lombardy. The artist's
choice to portray the moment following Christ's shocking
announcement that "one of you shall betray me" gave him the
opportunity to explore the reactions of the apostles. The size of
the figures, their position in the foreground, and the unusual
perspective mean that the observer is drawn into the emotion of the
scene, just as Dominican friars would have desired. In his
engraving,
Durer takes up the drama and movement of
Leonardo's painting. He shows John having fallen into the arms
of Christ, indicating the close relationship between Jesus and this
young apostle. Later, the theme would be developed by
Veronese
(1528-1588), among others. With little feeling for the spiritual,
Veronese transformed the holy meal into a triumphal banquet for
the princes of the Church.
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Leonardo da Vinci
The Last Supper
1498
Mixed technique
Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
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 Albrecht Durer
Last Supper
1510
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LEONARDO DA VINCI: "VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS"
Circa 1483-86; oil on panel (transferred to canvas); 198 x 123 cm (78 x 48 in).
Musee du Louvre, Paris
The Virgin Mary has her right arm around the shoulders of infant St John the
Baptist, who kneels in prayer. Her left hand, slightly open, hovers above the
head of the seated Christ child. A kneeling angel points at St John with his
right hand, while his left supports Christ. The figures occupy a large part of
the composition; they are placed against a dark background of jagged rocks
rising to an arch, through which a misty landscape may be glimpsed.
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Leonardo da Vinci
Virgin of the Rocks
1483-86
Musee du Louvre, Paris
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EXPLORATION
Leonardo da Vinci
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GlNEVRA DE' BENCI
Leonardo's exquisite portrait of Ginevra de' Benci was described by
Vasari as a "beautiful thing." It was originally larger, but was cut
down (because of damage) to this powerfully compact format by later
owners. The back of the panel depicts a wreath of laurel and palm
encircling a juniper sprig. The three are connected by a scroll
bearing the inscription "She adorns her beauty with virtue."
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Leonardo da Vinci
Ginerva de' Benci
1474
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Reserved character
Ginevrds rose pink check and lips are painted with supreme delicacy
and restraint. This effect is so subtle, so cool, that it admirably
conveys her inner restraint, her firm control over her emotions. Her
heavy, half-closed lids cast a shadow over the irises of her eyes,
and the almost total absence of reflected light serves to reduce the
communication between us and her. A slight cast in her left eye
accentuates the lack of focus in her expression, and her gaze is
directed over our shoulder.
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Skin under the bodice
Ginevra's skin is rendered with absolutely smooth, "invisible"
brushstrokes. This is achieved by working wet-in-wet, and by the
use of glazes and loose, "oily" paint, so that the color and
contours
of each brushstroke blend imperceptibly to form a continuous,
uninterrupted surface. It is seen through her diaphanous bodice,
which is given only the slightest definition. If it were not for the
gilt
pin holding it together, we would perhaps not notice it at all.
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Juniper leaves
The young woman's name, Ginevra, is related to the Italian
word ginepro, meaning "juniper." Appropriately, Leonardo has
set her pale, marblelike beauty against the dark, spiky
leaves of a juniper bush. She is well described by
spikiness, we may imagine, and the bitter appeal of the gin
that comes from the juniper berry is also adumbrated by this
setting.
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Insubstantial landscape
In contrast to the woman, with her firm, sculptural
presence, the middle-distance landscape quivers with
uncertainty, rendered with thin, fluid paint. Each brushmark
is visible over the next, and the trees are merely thin
stalks, their trunks painted with delicate, tremulous
brushstrokes.
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_________________________
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The Demonic Enchantment of
a Smile
The secret of the Mona Lisa
K. Reichold, B. Graf
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The lady smiles with regal serenity. Her instinct for
conquest, for cruelty, the whole legacy of her sex, the will
to seduce, to enmesh in deceptive wiles, the apparent
goodness concealing malicious intentions - all this appears
and disappears behind a veil of serenity to be lost in the
poetry of her smile. Smiling, she is good and evil, cruel
and merciful, gentle and cat-like.
Angelo Conti, On the Mona Lisa, 1909
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Is she cold-hearted? Soulless? Seductive? "Hundreds of
poets and men of letters have written on this woman. And
none of them has solved the enigma of her smile, none has
read her thoughts", to quote an essay written by Angelo
Conti. Attempts at interpretation are legion, yet none is
satisfying. Some see "the embodiment of all the love
experienced in the history of civilisation", others "the
narcissistic traits of Leonardo himself". Even the father of
psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, felt compelled to comment on
the Mona Lisa: "If one thinks of Leonardo's pictures, the
recollection of the beguiling and enigmatic smile that he
has magically conjured on to the lips of his female figures
comes to mind. An unchanging smile on long, curving lips: it
has become the distinctive feature of his work and is
usually called 'Leonardesque'. The exotic, beautiful face of
the Mona Lisa is most captivating to the spectator and
confounds his wits." Even Freud was forced to admit defeat:
"Let us leave the enigma of the Mona Lisa's countenance
unresolved."
We do know something about the artist's model. She was known
as Mona, or Monna, which means "Madam", Lisa del Giocondo.
Born in 1479, she married the respectable cloth merchant
Francesco del Giocondo and lived in Florence. There she was
noticed, at the age of twenty-four, by Leonardo da Vtnci,
who was twice her age. An extraordinarily gifted painter,
sculptor, draughtsman, architect, natural scientist and
engineer, he was arguably the greatest genius of his age.
Giorgio Vasan, who founded the discipline of art history,
understated the unparalleled powers of this polymath and
universal genius when he referred to him as "most admirable
and divinely gifted". He is said to have worked on the
Mono Lisa for three years, using the most sophisticated
techniques to distract his model so that he might capture
that enigmatic smile.
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Leonardo da Vinci
Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)
1503-05
Musee du Louvre, Pans
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EXPLORATION
Leonardo da Vinci
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