DISCUSSION OF LAST SUPPER’S PAINTINGS

Student’s Name

Course Name

Instructor’s Name

Due Date
 2

In Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the last supper, linear perspective is expressed through

the horizon line visible behind Jesus’ back, acting as the vanishing point of his drawing. In Peter

Paul Rubens’ drawing, the linear perspective is expressed through the vanishing point as nothing

is visible behind Jesus and his disciples’ backs. Third, Tintoretto’s linear perspective is also

visible through a vanishing point. In a drawing, the vanishing point is the furthest point from a

viewers’ visibility. Da Vinci’s image vanishing point is the horizon line, whereas Rubens and

Tintoretto’s images’ vanishing points are the walls behind the backs of Jesus and his disciples.

Implied lines entail art elements that lead viewers’ eyes to a focal point. Da Vinci and

Rubens use the vanishing points as their one point perspective to converge all viewers’ eyes to

Jesus’ centered position. Tintoretto uses light rays that converge at Jesus’ position at the table. In

da Vinci’s painting, Jesus sits at the center of the table, the natural focal point for a viewer.

Tintoretto’s image presents Jesus at one far end of the table but uses light rays to focus on Jesus’

position. Like Da Vinci, Rubens positions Jesus centrally on the table, attracting viewers’ natural

focus on positioning.

A painting’s movement regulates how viewers move their eyes across an image. Da Vinci

curves the table at the point where Jesus sits differently from other parts. Tintoretto uses color,

darkening Jesus' background more than his disciples’ backgrounds, and using more light over his

head. Rubens uses space by creating more space for Jesus in his drawing more than he does with

the disciples. Light and dark contrast entails variable use of white and dark light in a drawing to

vary movements and focus in a drawing to the intended artist’s focal point. In Da Vinci and

Tintoretto’s paintings, Jesus is represented in blue and red colors. Blue represents his purity,

whereas red represents danger after he departs following betrayal by one of the twelve disciples.
 3

Rubens, however, presents Jesus in red, representing the holy spirit of Jesus Christ and the

dangerous environment that the disciples are likely to experience after Jesus departs.

Tintoretto’s painting is the most complicated in its composition. The main reason is that,

different from the other two paintings, Jesus is not positioned centrally, and this requires the use

of other visual elements to understand the focal point. Da Vinci’s painting is the most classic

statement of the event, considering his choice of colors and movement to represent Jesus as the

focal point in the last supper. Da Vinci’s painting expresses the strongest sense of emotion as he

represents each disciple displaying different natural reactions to the messages they receive from

Jesus.