Joseph's Studio "The Last Supper" Renaissance
Stone resin, Measures 4.5"H x 11.25"W x 4.25"D
The Last Supper Story
The
Last Supper, is extremely interesting and instructive. Historical
Christian belief tells us that two real incidents connected with it
afford a most convincing lesson on the effects of right thinking or
wrong thinking in the life of a man. The Last Supper was painted by
Leonardo Da Vinci; and the time engaged for its completion was
approximately seven years. The figures representing the twelve Apostles
and Christ himself were sketched from living persons.
The life-model
for the painting of the figure of Jesus was chosen first. DaVinci
carefully viewed hundreds of young men in his endeavor to find a face
and personality exhibiting innocence, free from the scars and signs of
dissipation caused by sin. Finally, after weeks of laborious searching,
a young man nineteen years of age was selected as a model for the
portrayal of Christ.
For months, Da
Vinci worked on the production of this leading character of his famous
painting. During the following years, Da Vinci continued his labors on
this sublime work of art. One by one fitting persons were chosen to
represent each of the eleven Apostles; space being left for the
painting of the figure representing Judas Iscariot as the final task of
this masterpiece.
This was the
Apostle, you remember, who betrayed his Lord for thirty pieces of
silver, worth in our present day, currency of $16.96. For weeks, Da
Vinci searched for a man with a hard, callous face, with a countenance
marked by scars of avarice, deceit, hypocrisy, and crime; a face that
would delineate a character who would betray his best friend.
After many
discouraging experiences in searching for the type of person required
to represent Judas, word came to Da Vinci that a man whose appearance
fully met his requirements had been found in a dungeon in Rome,
sentenced to die for a life of crime and murder. Da Vinci made the trip
to Rome at once, and this man was brought out from his imprisonment in
the dungeon and led out into the light of the sun.
There Da Vinci
saw before him a dark, swarthy man; his long, shaggy and unkempt hair
sprawled over his face, which betrayed a character of viciousness and
complete ruin. At last, the famous painter had found the person he
wanted to represent the character of Judas in his painting.
By special
permission from the king, this prisoner was carried to Milan where the
picture was being painted; and for months he sat before Da Vinci each
day as the gifted artist diligently continued his task of transmitting
to his painting this base character in the picture representing the
traitor and betrayer of our savior.
As he finished
his last stroke, he turned to the guards and said, "I have finished.
You may take the prisoner away." As the guards were leading their
prisoner away, he suddenly broke loose from their control and rushed up
to Da Vinci, crying, "O, Da Vinci, look at me! Do you not know who I
am?"
Da Vinci, with
the trained eyes of a great painter, carefully scrutinized the man upon
whose face he had constantly gazed for months and replied, "No, I have
never seen you in my life until you were brought before me out of the
dungeon in Rome."
Then, lifting
his eyes toward heaven, the prisoner said, "Oh, God, have I fallen so
low?" Then turning his face back to the painter he cried, "Leonardo Da
Vinci! Look at me again for I am the same man you painted just seven
years ago as the figure of Christ."
This is the
accepted Early Christian story of the painting of The Last Supper that
teaches so strongly the lesson of the effects of wrong living on the
life of an individual. Here was a young man whose character was so
pure, unspoiled by the sins of the world that he presented a
countenance of innocence and beauty fit to be used for the painting of
a representation of Christ.
But, within
seven years, following sin and a life of crime, he was changed into a
perfect picture of the most traitorous character ever known in the
history of the world.
