The Last Supper is a brilliant work by Leonardo da Vinci. "The Last Supper": the story of the famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci

The name itself famous painting Da Vinci" The Last Supper"carries sacred meaning. Indeed, many of Leonardo's paintings are covered with an aura of mystery. In The Last Supper, as in many other works of the artist, there is a lot of symbolism and hidden messages.
Recently, the restoration of the legendary creation was completed. Thanks to this, we learned a lot interesting facts associated with its history. The meaning of the picture still remains muddy and not entirely clear for many. Around the hidden meaning of the Last Supper, more and more guesses are born.
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most mysterious personalities in history visual arts. Some almost rank the artist as a saint and compose laudatory odes to him, others, on the contrary, consider him a blasphemer who sold his soul to the devil, while no one doubts the genius of the great Italian.

History of the painting

It's hard to believe, but the painting "The Last Supper" was painted in 1495 by order of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. Despite the fact that the ruler was famous for his dissolute life, he had a very modest and virtuous wife, Beatrice, whom he, it should be noted, respected and revered very much.
But, unfortunately, the true strength of his love manifested itself only when his wife died suddenly. The duke's grief was so great that he did not leave his own chambers for 15 days, and when he left, the first thing he did was order a fresco by Leonardo da Vinci, which his late wife had once asked for, and forever put an end to his rampant lifestyle.



The artist completed his unique creation in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 centimeters. Best of all, the Last Supper can be seen if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. Creating a picture, Leonardo used egg tempera, which later played a cruel joke on him. The canvas began to collapse in just 20 years after creation.
The famous fresco is located in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie on one of the walls of the refectory in Milan. According to art critics, the artist specially depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were at that time in the church. With this simple technique, he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer than we think. 1. The identity of the apostles depicted on the canvas has repeatedly been the subject of controversy. Judging by the inscriptions on the reproduction of the painting, stored in Lugano, these are (from left to right) Bartholomew, Jacob the Younger, Andrew, Judas, Peter, John, Thomas, James the Elder, Philip, Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot.




2. Many historians believe that this picture depicts Euchrastia (communion), since Jesus Christ points to the table with wine and bread with both hands. True, there is alternative version. It will be discussed below...
3. Many more school course know the story that the most difficult thing for da Vinci during the painting was Jesus and Judas. Initially, the artist planned to make them the embodiment of good and evil and for a long time could not find people who would serve as models for creating his masterpiece.
Once an Italian during a service in a church saw a young man in the choir, so inspired and pure that there was no doubt: here it is - the incarnation of Jesus for his "Last Supper".
The last character, the prototype of which the artist did not manage to find until the last, was Judas. The artist spent hours wandering the narrow Italian streets in search of a suitable model. And now, after 3 years, da Vinci found what he was looking for. In the ditch lay a drunken man who had long been on the edge of society. The artist ordered the drunkard to be brought to his studio. The man practically did not stay on his feet and weakly understood where he had ended up.


After the image of Judas was completed, the drunkard approached the painting and confessed that he had seen it somewhere before. To the bewilderment of the author, the man replied that three years ago he was unrecognizable: he sang in the church choir and led a righteous life. It was then that an artist approached him with an offer to paint Christ from him.


So, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were written from the same person in different periods his life. This fact serves as a metaphor for the fact that good and evil go hand in hand and there is a very thin line between them.
4. The most controversial is the opinion that according to right hand from Jesus Christ is not a man at all, but none other than Mary Magdalene. Her location indicates that she was the lawful wife of Jesus. From the silhouettes of Mary Magdalene and Jesus, the letter "M" is formed. Allegedly, it means the word "Matrimonio", which translates as "marriage."


5. According to some scientists, the unusual arrangement of the disciples on the canvas is not accidental. Say, Leonardo da Vinci placed people according to the signs of the zodiac. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.
6. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the Second World War, as a result of a shell hitting the church building, almost everything was destroyed, except for the wall on which the fresco was depicted.
However, in 1566, local monks made a door in the wall depicting the Last Supper, which “cut off” the legs of the characters in the picture. A little later, the Milan coat of arms was hung over the head of the Savior. And at the end of the 17th century, a stable was made from the refectory.
7. No less interesting are the thoughts of the priests of art about the food depicted on the table. For example, near Judas, Leonardo painted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered bad omen), as well as an empty plate.


8. There is an assumption that the apostle Thaddeus, sitting with his back to Christ, is actually a self-portrait of da Vinci himself. And, given the nature of the artist and his atheistic views, this hypothesis is more than likely. Da Vinci was, in fact, the first to "throw a feast", depicting a famous gospel scene. Most often, the last meal of Christ was portrayed as ascetic, especially since the original source does not give much detail regarding the set of dishes. Contrary to his predecessors, who placed on the picture mainly the bread and wine necessary for communion (at best, adding a small lamb to them), Leonardo covered the whole meadow.

One of the three large common dishes in the center of the table is already empty, except for a slice of fruit (perhaps a pomegranate) on the edge. But in front of the Apostle Andrew is a dish filled with fish. The appearance of the fish is not so unexpected, since it is repeatedly mentioned in the Gospel, and some of the apostles themselves worked as fishermen before they were called by Christ. In addition, the fish is one of the ancient symbols of Christ himself. Greek first letters of words Jesus Christ Theou Uios Soter(Jesus Christ - God's Son the Savior) make up the word ichthus - "fish".

The latest restoration made it possible to see another dish: eel cut into pieces, served with orange slices. At the time of writing The Last Supper, such a delicacy could decorate the table in the most noble houses, and Ross King puts forward two versions of why the artist could place a dish so unconventional for the Last Supper plot.

According to one of them, since the painting was part of the conceited plan of Lodovico Sforza, then perhaps Leonardo wanted to display the luxurious hospitable receptions of his patron. And the second assumption refers to the story of the 15th century writer Gentile Sermini, where it is the dish of eels with oranges that acts as a symbol of gluttony. The work ridicules a priest who is in a hurry to finish the service as soon as possible in order to get home in time for dinner and taste the eel cooked according to a special recipe.

The anti-clerical spirit of the story was close to the views of Leonardo. But, on the other hand, he wrote exquisite dishes on the wall of the refectory of the monastery, whose members of the order most years they could take only bread and water, and the rest of the time - as much as possible simple meals. So it is quite possible that da Vinci still did not set a goal to mock the starving brethren.

Artist, scientist, writer, engineer, architect, inventor and humanist, real man Renaissance, Leonardo near the Italian town of Vinci, in 1452. For almost 20 years (from 1482 to 1499) he "worked" for the Duke of Milan, Ludovic Sforza. It was during this period of his life that The Last Supper was written. Da Vinci died in 1519 in France, where he was invited by King Francis I.

Composition innovation

The plot of the painting "The Last Supper" has been used in painting more than once. According to the Gospel, during the last joint meal Jesus "it is true that one of you will betray me". Artists usually depicted the apostles at this moment gathered around a round or square table, but Leonardo wanted to show not only Jesus as the central figure, he wanted to depict the reaction of all those present to the Master's phrase. Therefore, they were chosen linear composition, which allows you to depict all the characters in the front or in profile. In traditional iconography before Leonardo, it was also customary to depict Jesus breaking bread with Judas, and John clinging to the chest of Christ. With such a composition, the artists tried to emphasize the idea of ​​betrayal and redemption. Da Vinci violated this canon as well.

In the traditional manner, canvases depicting the Last Supper by Giotto, Duccio and Sassetta were painted.

Leonardo makes Jesus Christ the center of the composition. The dominant position of Jesus is emphasized by the empty space around him, the windows behind him, the objects in front of Christ are ordered, while chaos reigns on the table in front of the apostles. The apostles are divided by the artist into "troikas". Bartholomew, Jacob and Andrei are seated on the left, Andrei threw up his hands in a gesture of denial. Jude, Peter, and John follow. The face of Judas is hidden in the shadows, in the hands of his canvas bag. The femininity of the figure and face of John, who passed out from the news, has allowed numerous interpreters to suggest that this is Mary Magdalene, and not the apostle. Thomas, James and Philip are sitting behind Jesus, they are all turned to Jesus and, as it were, expecting clarifications from him, last group- Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon.

The similarity of the Apostle John with a woman is largely based on the plot of the work "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown.

Legend of Judas

In order to accurately write the emotions that engulfed the apostles, Leonardo not only made numerous sketches, but also carefully selected sitters. The painting, measuring 460 by 880 centimeters, was written over three years, from 1495 to 1498. The figure of Christ was painted first, for which, according to legend, a young singer with a spiritualized face posed. The last to be written was Jude. Da Vinci for a long time could not find a person whose face would bear the appropriate seal of vice, until luck smiled at him and he, in one of the prisons, met a young enough, but degraded and seemingly extremely depraved person. After he finished Judas with him, the sitter:
"Master, don't you remember me?" A few years ago you painted Christ from me for this fresco.
Serious art historians refute the veracity of this legend.

Dry plaster and restoration

Before Leonardo da Vinci, all artists painted frescoes on wet plaster. It was important to have time to finish the painting before it dries. Since Leonardo wanted to carefully and painstakingly write out the smallest details, as well as the emotions of the characters, he decided to write The Last Supper on dry plaster. First he covered the wall with a layer of resin and mastic, then with chalk and tempera. The method did not justify itself, although it allowed the artist to work with the degree of detail he needed. In less than a few decades, the paint began to crumble. About the first serious damage wrote already in 1517. In 1556, the famous art historian Giorgio Vasari claimed that the fresco had been damaged.

In 1652, the painting was barbarously damaged by a doorway cut in the lower part of the center of the fresco. Only thanks to a copy of the painting made before by an unknown artist, one can now see not only the original details lost due to the destruction of the plaster, but also the destroyed part. Since the 18th century, numerous attempts have been made to preserve and restore the great work, but all of them did not benefit the picture. A striking example to that - the curtain with which the fresco was closed in 1668. He caused moisture to accumulate on the wall, which led to the fact that the paint began to peel off even more. In the 20th century, all the most modern achievements science. From 1978 to 1999, the painting was closed for viewing and restorers worked on it, trying to minimize the damage caused by dirt, time, the efforts of past "keepers" and stabilize the painting from further destruction. To this end, the refectory was sealed as much as possible, and an artificial environment is maintained in it. Since 1999, visitors have been allowed to attend the Last Supper, but only by appointment for a period of no more than 15 minutes.

Truly, there is no secret in the world that someday would not become obvious, for manuscripts do not burn. And we continue to debunk one of the most shameless historical myths, relative to the corrupted Christian Church name Mary Magdalene. From the recent it became important for us to have importance coverage of this topic, because Rigden Djappo himself speaks with great respect about her and her "great feat", which we will definitely come to later, as evidenced by the book " Sensei 4. Primordial Shambhala"materials describing the completely unknown history of this mysterious and beautiful woman. Very soon in the section "Indigenous Knowledge" we will post detailed content this invaluable, in our opinion, literary work.

In the meantime, following the article "One of the mysteries of Mary Magdalene, beloved disciple of Jesus Christ", we continue to search for the truth that is inconvenient for the official Church, trying to figure out what and why from us - ordinary people- concealed for thousands of years, so what can you do, you have to speak frankly, the so-called "priests". Having received the Keys-Knowledge, doors and eyes "open" before any person, he begins to see the surrounding reality from a radically different angle of view, and first of all, it becomes incomprehensible to him why these people call themselves "priests" and hide so many secrets? If a person knew the truth, a lot in this world could change, and we are convinced, for the better for people.

Today we turn to the monumental painting of Leonardo da Vinci " The Last Supper", depicting the scene of the last supper of Jesus Christ with the disciples. It was written in the years 1495-1498 in the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The reason for our conversion in it? Like many open-minded biblical students, we became very interested, why it is clearly seen that there is a woman next to Jesus , while for thousands of years the Church has been strongly convincing to believe in the version - about a certain apostle John, from whose pen came the fourth, one of the canonical Gospels "from John the Theologian", - the "beloved disciple" of the Savior.

So let's look at the original first:

Location

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.

"The Last Supper" (official information, according to Wikipedia)

General information

The size of the image is approximately 460 × 880 cm, it is located in the refectory of the monastery, on the back wall. The theme is traditional for this kind of premises. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered with a fresco by another master; Leonardo also put his hand to it.

Technique

He wrote "The Last Supper" on a dry wall, not on wet plaster, so the painting is not a fresco in the true sense of the word. The fresco cannot be changed while it is being worked on, and Leonardo decided to cover stone wall layer of resin, gabs and mastic, and then write on this layer with tempera. Due to the chosen method, the painting began to collapse within a few years after the end of the work.

Figures depicted

The apostles are depicted in groups of three, located around the figure of Christ sitting in the center. Groups of apostles, from left to right:

Bartholomew, Jacob Alfeev and Andrey;
Judas Iscariot (wearing green and blue color) , Peter and John (?);
Thomas, James Zebedee and Philip;
Matthew, Judas Thaddeus and Simon.

In the 19th century, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks with the names of the apostles were found; before that, only Judas, Peter, John, and Christ had been identified with certainty.

Painting analysis

It is believed that the work depicts the moment when Jesus utters the words that one of the apostles will betray him ("and when they were eating, he said: Truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me"), and the reaction of each of them. As in other images of the last supper of that time, Leonardo places those seated at the table on one side of it so that the viewer can see their faces. Most previous writings on the subject have excluded Judas by placing him alone on the opposite side of the table to that of the other eleven apostles and Jesus, or by depicting all the apostles except Judas with a halo. Judas clutches a small pouch in his hand, possibly representing the silver he received for betraying Jesus, or being an allusion to his role among the twelve apostles as treasurer. He was the only one who put his elbow on the table. The knife in Peter's hand, pointing away from Christ, may refer the viewer to the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane during the detention of Christ. The gesture of Jesus can be interpreted in two ways. According to the Bible, Jesus predicts that his betrayer will stretch out his hand to eat at the same time as him. Judas reaches for the dish, not noticing that Jesus also stretches out his right hand to him. At the same time, Jesus points to bread and wine, which symbolize the sinless body and shed blood, respectively.
The figure of Jesus is located and illuminated so that the viewer's attention is drawn primarily to him. The head of Jesus is at the vanishing point for all perspective lines.
The painting contains repeated references to the number three:

The apostles sit in groups of three;
behind Jesus are three windows;
the contours of the figure of Christ resemble a triangle.

The light illuminating the whole scene does not come from the windows painted behind, but comes from the left, as in real light from the window on the left wall. In many places the painting passes golden ratio; for example, where Jesus and John, who is on his right, put their hands, the canvas is divided in this ratio.

"The Last Supper. Mary Magdalene sits next to Christ!" (Lynn Picknett, Clive Prince. "Leonardo da Vinci and the Brotherhood of Zion")

(a book that deserves attention due to its sober analytical view)

There is one of the most famous - immortal - works of art in the world. The Last Supper fresco by Leonardo da Vinci is the only surviving painting in the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria del Grazia. It is made on a wall that was left standing after the entire building was reduced to rubble by Allied bombing during World War II. Although other versions of this biblical scene were presented to the world wonderful artists- Nicolas Poussin and even such an idiosyncratic author as Salvador Dali - it is Leonardo's creation that, for some reason, strikes the imagination more than any other canvas. Variants on this theme can be seen everywhere, and they cover the whole spectrum of attitudes to the theme: from worship to ridicule.

Sometimes the image looks so familiar that it is practically not considered in detail, although it is open to the gaze of any viewer and requires closer examination: its true deep meaning remains a closed book, and the viewer glides only on its cover.

It was this work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - the suffering genius of Renaissance Italy - that showed us the path that led to discoveries so exciting in their consequences that at first they seemed incredible. It is impossible to understand why generations of scholars did not notice what was available to our astonished eye, why such explosive information patiently waited all this time for writers like us, remained outside the mainstream of historical or religious research and was not discovered.

To be consistent, we must return to The Last Supper and look at it with a fresh, unbiased eye. Now is not the time to consider it in the light of familiar notions of history and art. Now the moment has come when the view of a person who is completely unfamiliar with this so well-known scene will be more appropriate - let the veil of prejudice fall from our eyes, let us look at the picture in a new way.

The central figure is, of course, Jesus, whom Leonardo, in his notes on this work, calls the Savior. He looks thoughtfully down and slightly to his left, hands outstretched on the table in front of him, as if offering the viewer the gifts of the Last Supper. Since it was then, according to the New Testament, that Jesus introduced the sacrament of Communion by offering the disciples bread and wine as his "flesh" and "blood", the viewer has the right to expect that there should be a cup or a goblet of wine on the table in front of him in order for the gesture to look justified. . Ultimately, for Christians, this supper immediately precedes the Passion of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he fervently prays "may this cup pass from me ..." - another association with the image of wine - blood, - and holy blood was shed before the Crucifixion for the atonement of sins of all mankind. Nevertheless, there is no wine before Jesus (and even a symbolic amount of it on the whole table). Can these outstretched hands mean what in the lexicon of artists is called an empty gesture?

Given the absence of wine, it is perhaps no coincidence that, of all the loaves on the table, very few are "broken". Since Jesus himself associated with his flesh the bread to be broken at the supreme sacrament, is there not a subtle allusion to true character suffering of Jesus?

However, all this is just the tip of the iceberg of heresy reflected in this picture. According to the Gospel, the Apostle John the Theologian was physically so close to Jesus during this Supper that he clung "to his chest." However, in Leonardo this young man does not occupy at all the same position as the “stage instructions” of the Gospel require, but, on the contrary, exaggeratedly deviated from the Savior, bowing his head to the right side. An unprejudiced viewer can be forgiven if he notices only these curious features in relation to a single image - the image of the Apostle John. But, although the artist, due to his own predilections, of course, was inclined towards the ideal of male beauty of a somewhat feminine type, there can be no other interpretation: in this moment we are looking at a woman. Everything about it is strikingly feminine. However old and faded the image may be due to the age of the fresco, one cannot help but notice the tiny, graceful hands, delicate features, clearly female breasts and a golden necklace. This is a woman, it is a woman, which is marked by a dress that makes her stand out. The clothes on her are a mirror image of the clothes of the Savior: if he is wearing a blue chiton and a red cloak, then she is wearing a red chiton and a blue cloak. None of those sitting at the table are wearing robes that are a mirror image of the clothes of Jesus. And there are no other women at the table.

Central to the composition is a huge, widened letter "M", which is formed by the figures of Jesus and this woman, taken together. They seem to be literally connected at the hips, but suffer due to the fact that they diverge or even grow from one point to different sides. As far as we know, none of the academicians has ever referred to this image other than "St. John", they did not notice the compositional form in the form of the letter "M". Leonardo, as we have established in our research, was a brilliant psychologist who laughed when he presented highly unorthodox images to his patrons who commissioned him a traditional biblical image, knowing that people would calmly and calmly look at the most monstrous heresy, since they usually see only what they want to see. If you are called to write a Christian scene and present to the public something that at first glance seems similar and meets their wishes, people will never look for ambiguous symbolism.

At the same time, Leonardo had to hope that perhaps there were others who shared his unusual interpretation of the New Testament, who recognized the secret symbolism in the picture. Or someone, sometime, some objective observer, will one day understand the image of a mysterious woman associated with the letter "M", and ask questions that obviously follow from this. Who was this "M" and why is she so important? Why did Leonardo risk his reputation - even his life in the days when heretics were everywhere burning at the stake - to include it in a seminal Christian scene? Whoever she is, her fate cannot but be alarming as an outstretched hand cuts into her gracefully arched neck. The threat contained in this gesture cannot be doubted.

Raised right before the face of the Savior forefinger with the other hand, with obvious passion, threatens himself. But both Jesus and "M" look like people who do not notice the threat, each of them is completely immersed in the world of his thoughts, each in his own way is serene and calm. But all together it looks as if the secret symbols were used not only to warn Jesus and the woman sitting next to him (?), but also to inform (and maybe remind) the observer of some information that would be dangerous to make public in any other way. Did Leonardo not use his creation to promulgate some special beliefs, which would be simply madness to proclaim in the usual way? And could these beliefs be a message addressed much more a wide range, and not just his immediate environment? Maybe they were intended for us, for the people of our time?

The young apostle John or Mary Magdalene?

Let's get back to this amazing creation. In the fresco on the right, from the point of view of the observer, a tall bearded man doubled over, telling something to a student sitting at the edge of the table. At the same time, he almost completely turned his back on the Savior. The model for the image of this student - St. Thaddeus or St. Jude - was Leonardo himself. Note that the image of the Renaissance artists, as a rule, is either accidental or made when the artist was a beautiful model. In this case, we are dealing with an example of the use of an image by a follower of double entendre ( double meaning). (He was preoccupied with finding the right model for each of the apostles, as can be seen from his rebellious offer to the most enraged prior of St. Mary's to serve as a model for Judas.) So why did Leonardo portray himself as clearly turning his back on Jesus?

Furthermore. Unusual hand aims a dagger at the stomach of a student sitting just one person from "M". This hand cannot belong to anyone sitting at the table, since such a bend is physically impossible for people who are next to the image of the hand to hold the dagger in this position. However, it is not the very fact of the existence of a hand that does not belong to the body that is really striking, but the absence in the works on Leonardo that we have read mentions this: although this hand is mentioned in a couple of works, the authors do not find anything unusual in it. As in the case of the apostle John, who looks like a woman, nothing could be more obvious - and more strange - if only to pay attention to this circumstance. But this irregularity most often escapes the attention of the observer, simply because this fact is extraordinary and outrageous.

We often hear that Leonardo was an ardent Christian, religious paintings which reflect the depth of his faith. As we can see, in at least one of the paintings there are images that are very dubious from the point of view of an orthodox Christian. By our further research, as we shall show, nothing can be so far from the truth as the idea that Leonardo was a true believer - that is, a believer according to the canons of an accepted or at least acceptable form of Christianity. Already by the curious anomalous features of one of his creations, we can see that he was trying to tell us about another layer of meanings in a familiar biblical scene, about another world of faith, hidden in the generally accepted images of wall paintings in Milan.

Whatever the meaning of these heretical irregularities - and the significance of this fact cannot be exaggerated - they were absolutely incompatible with the orthodox dogma of Christianity. This in itself is unlikely to be news to many modern materialists/rationalists, since for them Leonardo was the first real scientist, a man who had no time for any superstition, a man who was the antithesis of all mysticism and occultism. But they could not understand what appeared before their eyes. Depicting the Last Supper without wine is tantamount to depicting the scene of the coronation without a crown: it turns out either nonsense, or the picture is filled with other content, and to such an extent that it represents the author as an absolute heretic - a person who has faith, but faith that contradicts the dogmas of Christianity. Maybe not just different, but in a state of struggle with the dogmas of Christianity. And in Leonardo's other works, we have found his own particular heretical tastes, expressed in carefully crafted appropriate scenes, which he would hardly have written in this way, being just an atheist earning his living. There are too many of these deviations and symbols to be interpreted as a mockery of a skeptic who is forced to work on order, and they cannot be called just antics, like, for example, the image of St. Peter with a red nose. What we see in The Last Supper and other works is secret code Leonardo da Vinci, who, we believe, has an amazing connection to the modern world.

One can argue what Leonardo believed or did not believe in, but his actions were not just a whim of a man, undoubtedly extraordinary, whose whole life was full of paradoxes. He was closed, but at the same time the soul and life of society; he despised fortune-tellers, but in his papers large sums paid to astrologers; he was considered a vegetarian and had a tender love for animals, but his tenderness seldom extended to mankind; he zealously dissected corpses and watched the executions with the eyes of an anatomist, he was a deep thinker and a master of riddles, tricks and hoaxes.

With such conflicting inner world it is likely that Leonardo's religious and philosophical views were unusual, even strange. For this reason alone, it is tempting to dismiss his heretical beliefs as irrelevant to our modern times. It is generally accepted that Leonardo was an extremely gifted man, but modern trend to evaluate everything in terms of "epoch" leads to a significant underestimation of his achievements. After all, in those days when he was in his prime creative forces even printing was new. What can one lone inventor living in such primitive times offer to a world that is bathed in an ocean of information via a global network, to a world that, in a matter of seconds, exchanges information via telephone and fax with continents not yet discovered in his time?

There are two answers to this question. First: Leonardo was not, to use the paradox, an ordinary genius. Majority educated people knows that he designed a flying machine and a primitive tank, but at the same time, some of his inventions were so out of character for the time in which he lived that people with an eccentric turn of mind can imagine that he was given a vision of the future. His bicycle design, for example, only became known in the late 1960s. In contrast to the painful trial and error evolution that the Victorian bicycle underwent, Leonardo da Vinci's road eater already has two wheels and a chain drive in the first edition. But even more striking is not the design of the mechanism, but the question of the reasons that prompted to reinvent the wheel. Man has always wanted to fly like a bird, but the dream of balancing on two wheels and pushing the pedals, taking into account the deplorable state of the roads, already smacks of mysticism. (Recall, by the way, that, unlike the dream of flying, it does not figure in any of the classic stories.) Among many other statements about the future, Leonardo also predicted the appearance of the telephone.

Even if Leonardo were even more of a genius than the historical books say, the question still remains unanswered: what possible knowledge could he have if what he proposed found meaning or became widespread only five centuries after his time. One could, of course, argue that the teaching of a first-century preacher would seem to have even less relevance to our time, but the fact remains that some ideas are universal and eternal, a truth found or formulated does not cease to be truth after the lapse of centuries. ..

(to be continued)

"The Da Vinci Code" (scandalous novel by Dan Brown)

Particularly heated debate erupted in the world after the film adaptation of Dan Brown's scandalous novel " The Da Vinci Code where, among other things, he claims that Mary Magdalene was not only a beloved disciple of Jesus, but also a spouse, that is, a wife . The book has been translated into 44 languages ​​and published general circulation more than 81 million copies. The Da Vinci Code tops the New York Times bestseller list, many consider the novel best book decades. The novel, written in the genre of an intellectual detective thriller, was able to arouse wide interest in the legend of the Holy Grail and the place of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity.

However christianity reacted very strongly to the release of the book and film, Dan Brown's version was crushed by a thousand critical responses and comments. One of the zealous ministers of religion put it most eloquently, calling even for a boycott of the film: "shrillly anti-Christian, full of slander, crimes and historical and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospel and a hostile church." However, discarding the religious narrow-mindedness, one thing can be said for sure, none of the critics lived then, and real history cannot know. It may be known by the one whose name is inscribed in the title of our site, and we will return to his words.

SKETCH OF "THE LAST SUPPER"

Well, now let's look at the workpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci, the surviving sketch for The Last Supper. The second figure on the left, in the top row, is clearly visible feminine outlines, smoother and lighter forms. Who is this if not a woman?

SUMMARY

Everyone sees what he wants to see, this is one of the mysterious laws of human consciousness. And if a person's consciousness believes that white is black, it will confidently prove its case. We were not present at the writing of the famous monumental painting brilliant artist, as they were not present at the epochal events of the life of Jesus Christ, and therefore it would be fairer to end this article with the statement that we cannot know for sure whether this is John or Mary, however subjectively, in the picture of Leonardo Da Vinci - a woman, and therefore no one other than the beloved disciple of Jesus - Mary Magdalene. The opinion of the Church that the Apostle John the Theologian is in the picture is equally subjective. 50/50 - nothing more!!!

Prepared by Dato Gomarteli (Ukraine-Georgia)

PS: another reproduction, photo of the Last Supper mosaic from St. Isaac's Cathedral Petersburg, and again we see a woman:

The Last Supper.

Leonardo da Vinci- the most mysterious and unexplored personality of past years. Someone credits him God's gift and classifies him as a saint, someone, on the contrary, considers him an atheist who sold his soul to the devil. But the genius of the great Italian is undeniable, since everything that the hand of the great painter and engineer has ever touched was instantly filled with hidden meaning. Today we will talk about famous work "The Last Supper" and the many secrets it hides.

Location and history of creation:

The famous fresco is in the churchSanta Maria delle Grazielocated on the square of the same name in Milan. Or rather - on one of the walls of the refectory. According to historians, the artist specially depicted in the picture exactly the same table and dishes that were at that time in the church. By this he tried to show that Jesus and Judas (good and evil) are much closer to people than it seems.

The painter received an order to write a work from his patron, the Duke of Milan.Ludovico Sforzain 1495. The ruler was famous for his dissolute life and with young years was surrounded by young bacchantes. The situation was not changed at all by the fact that the duke had a beautiful and modest wife.Beatrice d'Estewho sincerely loved her husband and, due to her meek disposition, could not argue with his way of life. It must be admitted thatLudovico Sforzasincerely revered his wife and was attached to her in his own way. But the dissolute duke felt the true power of love only at the moment of the sudden death of his wife. The grief of the man was so great that he did not leave his room for 15 days. And when it came out, the first thing I orderedLeonardo da Vincifresco, which his late wife once asked for, and forever stopped all entertainment at court.

The work was completed in 1498. Its dimensions were 880 by 460 cm. Many connoisseurs of the artist's work agreed that the best"The Last Supper"can be seen if you move 9 meters to the side and rise 3.5 meters up. Moreover, there is something to see. Already during the life of the author, the fresco was considered his the best work. Although, to call the picture a fresco would be wrong. The fact is thatLeonardo da Vinciwrote the work not on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, in order to be able to edit it several times. To do this, the artist applied a thick layer of egg tempra to the wall, which subsequently did a disservice, starting to collapse just 20 years after the painting was painted. But more on that later.

Artwork idea:

"The Last Supper"depicts the last Easter supper of Jesus Christ with the apostle disciples, which took place in Jerusalem on the eve of his arrest by the Romans. According to the scripture, Jesus said during the meal that one of the apostles would betray him.Leonardo da VinciI tried to depict the reaction of each of the students to the prophetic phrase of the Teacher. To do this, he walked around the city, spoke with ordinary people, made them laugh, upset, encouraged. And at the same time he watched the emotions on their faces. The author's goal was to display the famous dinner from a purely human point of view. That is why he depicted all those present in a row and did not add a halo over their heads to anyone (as other artists liked to do).

So we have reached the most interesting part of the article: the secrets and features hidden in the work of the great author.

1. According to historians, the most difficultLeonardo da Vincithe writing of two characters was given: Jesus and Judas. The artist tried to make them the embodiment of good and evil, so for a long time he could not find suitable models. Once an Italian saw a young singer in the church choir - so inspired and pure that there was no doubt: here he is - the prototype of Jesus for his"The Last Supper". But, despite the fact that the image of the Teacher was painted,Leonardo da Vincicorrected it for a long time, considering it insufficiently perfect.

The last unwritten character in the picture was Judas. The artist spent hours wandering through the most haunted places, looking for a model for writing among the downtrodden people. And now, almost 3 years later, he was lucky. In the ditch was lying absolutely down type in a state of extreme intoxication. The artist ordered to bring him to the workshop. The man almost did not stay on his feet and did not understand where he was. However, already after the image of Judas was painted, the drunkard approached the picture and admitted that he had already seen it before. To the author's bewilderment, the man replied that three years ago he was completely different, led a correct lifestyle and sang in the church choir. It was then that an artist approached him with an offer to paint Christ from him. So, according to historians, Jesus and Judas were written off from the same person at different periods of his life. This once again emphasizes the fact that good and evil go so close that sometimes the line between them is imperceptible.

By the way, while workingLeonardo da Vincidistracted by the abbot of the monastery, who constantly hurried the artist and argued that he should paint a picture for days, and not stand in front of her in thought. Once the painter could not stand it and promised the abbot to write off Judas from him if he did not stop interfering in the creative process.

2. The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of the disciple, located on the right hand of Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not Jesus' mistress, as is commonly believed, but his lawful wife. This fact is confirmed by the letter "M", which is formed by the contours of the bodies of the pair. Allegedly, it means the word "Matrimonio", which means "marriage" in translation. Some historians argue with this statement and insist that the signature is visible in the painting.Leonardo da Vinci- the letter "V". In favor of the first statement is the mention that Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Christ and wiped them with her hair. According to tradition, only a legal wife could do this. Moreover, it is believed that the woman was pregnant at the time of her husband's execution and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, who laid the foundation for the Merovingian dynasty.

3. Some scientists argue that the unusual arrangement of students in the picture is not accidental. Say,Leonardo da Vinciplaced people according to ... signs of the zodiac. According to this legend, Jesus was a Capricorn and his beloved Mary Magdalene was a virgin.

4. It is impossible not to mention the fact that during the bombing during World War II, a shell that hit the church building destroyed almost everything except the wall on which the fresco was depicted. Although, the people themselves not only did not take care of the work, but also acted with it truly barbarically. In 1500, a flood in the church caused irreparable damage to the painting. But instead of restoring the masterpiece, the monks in 1566 did in the wall with the image"The Last Supper"a door that "cut off" the legs of the characters. A little later, a Milan coat of arms was hung over the head of the Savior. And at the end of the 17th century, a stable was made from the refectory. The already dilapidated fresco was covered with manure, and the French competed with each other: who would hit the head of one of the apostles with a brick. However, they had"The Last Supper"and fans. The French king Francis I was so impressed with the work that he seriously thought about how to transport it to his home.

5. No less interesting are the reflections of historians about the food depicted on the table. For example, near JudasLeonardo da Vincidepicted an overturned salt shaker (which at all times was considered a bad omen), as well as an empty plate. But the biggest subject of controversy so far is the fish in the painting. Contemporaries still cannot agree on what is painted on the fresco - a herring or an eel. Scientists believe that this ambiguity is not accidental. The artist specially encrypted in the picture hidden meaning. The fact is that in Italian "eel" is pronounced as "aringa". We add one more letter, we get a completely different word - “arringa” (instruction). At the same time, the word "herring" is pronounced in northern Italy as "renga", which means "one who denies religion" in translation. For an atheist artist, the second interpretation is closer.

As you can see, in a single picture, many secrets and understatements are hidden, over the disclosure of which more than one generation is struggling. Many of them will remain unsolved. And contemporaries will only have to speculate andrepeat a masterpiece great Italian in paints, marble, sand, trying to prolong the life of the fresco.