Last Supper Elements and Principles of Design Essay

Words: 1424
Pages: 6

Leonardo da Vinci was a talented artist of his time. He was publicly known for incorporating the skills of art and science. He had many important works of art such as the Mona Lisa, the study of human proportions according to Vitruvius, The Last Supper and many more. The Last Supper was one of his famous pieces, which to this day is still trying to be restored through millions of dollars and hours of hard work.

Leonardo da Vinci was raised in the small town of Vinci. His mother was a peasant woman named Piero da Vinci. His father who was a lawyer raised him. At the young age of 15 he began to apprentice under Andrea del Verocchio. In 1482 Leonardo left for Milan and became an official artist for the Duke. He had several sketches
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This resulted in many years of restoration and millions of dollars spent to preserve this wonderful work of art. Leonardo used a mixture of pitch and mastic. He painted with softly melancholy tones with shadows, which is a technique known as chiaroscuro. He used a technique of dividing the section of the wall into squares and then painted on them briskly. Leonardo added drawings on top of the previous drawings in order to make his work perfection. The painting has five sections, which each has two groups of three people on each side of Christ, which forms an imaginary triangle in the center of the painting. His head becomes the pinnacle of the triangle which each of his arms spreading out on each side forming the legs of the triangle. Finally the table connects the whole triangle together.

The Last Supper is filled with many visual elements and principles of design that truly unify the painting as a one of a kind masterpiece. The painting is representational art, which contains realistic and naturalistic figures. The perspective is drawn carefully in the banquet hall. The lines on the left and right hand side of the walls are drawn towards Christ's head, which are directional lines. Viewers tend to focus towards the center and if possible the persons' face. Within The Last Supper, the focal point is drawn to Christ's head. There is a window located