Interesting about the Last Supper. What secrets does Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” keep?

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

In the meantime, following the article “One of the secrets of Mary Magdalene, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ,” we continue the search for an inconvenient truth for the official Church, trying to figure out what and why they hid from us - ordinary people - for thousands of years, what can you do, we have to to speak directly, the so-called “clergy”. Having received the keys of Knowledge, “doors and eyes open” for any person, he begins to see the surrounding reality from a radically different angle, and first of all, it becomes unclear to him why these people call themselves “clergy” and hide so many secrets? If people 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" last supper", depicting the scene of the last supper of Jesus Christ with his 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 unbiased biblical scholars, we became very interested, why is it clear that there is a woman next to Jesus , while the Church for thousands of years has been urging people to believe in the version - about a certain Apostle John, from whose pen the fourth, one of the canonical Gospels “of John the Theologian” came out - the “beloved disciple” of the Savior.

So, let's look at the original first:

Location

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.

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

General information

The dimensions of the image are approximately 460x880 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 painted “The Last Supper” on a dry wall, and not on wet plaster, so the painting is not a fresco in the true sense of the word. The fresco cannot be changed during work, and Leonardo decided to cover stone wall a layer of resin, gabs and mastic, and then write on this layer with tempera. Due to the chosen method, the painting began to deteriorate just a few years after the completion 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 clothes) , Peter and John (?);
Thomas, James Zebedee and Philip;
Matthew, Judas Thaddeus and Simon.

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

Analysis of the picture

The work is believed to depict the moment when Jesus utters the words that one of the apostles will betray him (“and as they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me”), and the reaction of each of them. As in other depictions of the Last Supper of the time, Leonardo places those sitting at the table on one side so that the viewer can see their faces. Majority previous works on this topic they excluded Judas, placing him alone at the part of the table opposite to the one at which the other eleven apostles and Jesus were sitting, or depicting all the apostles except Judas with a halo. Judas clutches a small pouch, perhaps representing the silver he received for betraying Jesus, or an allusion to his role among the twelve apostles as treasurer. He was the only one with his elbow on the table. The knife in Peter's hand, pointing away from Christ, perhaps refers the viewer to the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane during the arrest of Christ. Jesus' gesture can be interpreted in two ways. According to the Bible, Jesus predicts that his betrayer will reach out to eat at the same time he does. Judas reaches for the dish, not noticing that Jesus is also reaching for him. right hand. At the same time, Jesus points to bread and wine, which symbolize the sinless body and shed blood, respectively.
The figure of Jesus is positioned and illuminated in such a way that the viewer's attention is drawn primarily to him. The head of Jesus is at a vanishing point for all lines of perspective.
The painting contains repeated references to the number three:

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

The light illuminating the entire scene does not come from the windows painted behind, but comes from the left, like the real light from the window on the left wall. In many places the picture 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 third-party analytical view)

There is one of the most famous - immortal - works of art in the world. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper fresco is the only surviving painting in the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria del Grazia. It is made on a wall that remained standing after the entire building was reduced to rubble as a result of Allied bombing during World War II. Although others have presented their versions of this biblical scene 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, amazes the imagination more than any other painting. Variations on this theme can be seen everywhere, and they cover the entire spectrum of attitudes towards the topic: from admiration to ridicule.

Sometimes an image looks so familiar that it is practically not examined in detail, although it is open to the gaze of any viewer and requires a more careful consideration: its true deep meaning remains a closed book, and the viewer glances only at 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 entire generations of scientists did not notice what was available to our astonished gaze, 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 fresh, unbiased eyes. This is not the time to consider it in the light of familiar ideas about history and art. Now the moment has come when the view of a person who is completely unfamiliar with this so famous scene will be more appropriate - let the veil of bias fall from our eyes, let us allow ourselves to look at the picture in a new way.

The central figure, of course, is Jesus, whom Leonardo, in his notes relating to this work, calls the Savior. He thoughtfully looks down and slightly to his left, his hands are stretched out 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, offering bread and wine to the disciples as his “flesh” and “blood,” the viewer has the right to expect that there should be a cup or goblet of wine on the table in front of him in order for the gesture to appear justified . Ultimately, for Christians, this supper immediately precedes the passion of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he fervently prays “let this cup pass from me...” - another association with the image of wine - blood - and also the holy blood shed before the Crucifixion for the atonement of sins of all humanity. Nevertheless, there is no wine before Jesus (and not even a symbolic amount of it on the entire table). Could these outstretched arms mean what in the vocabulary of artists is called an empty gesture?

Given the absence of wine, it is perhaps no coincidence that of all the bread on the table, very few are “broken.” Since Jesus himself associated bread with his flesh, which should be broken in the highest sacrament, is not a subtle hint sent to us about 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 leaned “to his chest.” However, in Leonardo this young man occupies a position completely different from that required by the “stage instructions” of the Gospel, but, on the contrary, exaggeratedly deviated from the Savior, bowing his head in right side. An unbiased 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 is in force own preferences, of course, was inclined towards the ideal of male beauty of a somewhat feminine type, there can be no other interpretations: in this moment we are looking at a woman. Everything about him is strikingly feminine. No matter how old and faded the image may be due to the age of the fresco, one cannot help but notice the tiny, graceful hands, delicate facial features, clearly female breasts and a gold necklace. This is a woman, precisely a woman, which is marked by clothing that especially distinguishes her. 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. No one at the table wears clothing that is a mirror image of Jesus' clothing. And there are no other women at the table.

Central to the composition is the 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 they suffer because they diverge or even grow from one point in different directions. As far as we know, none of the academicians ever referred to this image other than “St. John”; they also did not notice the compositional form in the form of the letter “M”. Leonardo, as we have established in our research, was an excellent psychologist who laughed when he presented his patrons, who commissioned him with a traditional biblical image, in highest degree unorthodox images, knowing that people will calmly and calmly look at the most monstrous heresy, since they usually see only what they want to see. If you have been called upon to write a Christian scene, and you have presented to the public something which at first sight is similar and responsive to 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 would recognize secret symbolism in the painting. Or someone someday, some objective observer will one day understand the image of the mysterious woman associated with the letter “M”, and ask questions that clearly follow from this. Who was this “M” and why is she so important? Why did Leonardo risk his reputation—even his life, in those days when heretics were burning at the stake everywhere—to include her in a fundamental Christian scene? Whoever she is, her fate cannot but cause alarm as the outstretched hand cuts her gracefully arched neck. The threat contained in this gesture cannot be doubted.

The index finger of the other hand, raised right in front of the Savior’s face, threatens him with obvious passion. 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 (or perhaps remind) the observer of some information that would be dangerous to make public in any other way. Did Leonardo use his creation to promulgate some special beliefs that would be simply madness to proclaim in the usual way? And could these beliefs be a message addressed to much more to a wide circle, and not just his immediate environment? Maybe they were intended for us, for the people of our time?

Young Apostle John or Mary Magdalene?

Let's get back to looking at this amazing creation. On the fresco on the right, from the observer's point of view, a tall bearded man bent almost double, telling something to a student sitting at the edge of the table. At the same time, he almost completely turned his back to the Savior. The model for the image of this disciple - Saint Thaddeus or Saint Jude - was Leonardo himself. Note that images of Renaissance artists were usually either accidental or were made when the artist was a beautiful model. In this case, we are dealing with an example of the use of an image by an adherent 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 irate prior of St. Mary's to serve as a model for Judas.) So why did Leonardo portray himself as so clearly turning his back on Jesus?

Moreover. An unusual hand aims a dagger at the stomach of a student sitting just one person away from "M". This hand cannot belong to anyone sitting at the table, since such a bend is physically impossible for the people next to the image of the hand to hold the dagger in this position. However, what is truly striking is not the very fact of the existence of a hand that does not belong to the body, but the absence of any mention of it in the works about Leonardo that we have read: 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 nothing more strange - once you 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 a devout Christian whose religious paintings reflect the depth of his faith. As we can see, at least one of the paintings contains images that are very dubious from the point of view of an orthodox Christian. Our further research, as we will show, has established that nothing could be so far from the truth as the idea that Leonardo was a true believer - by implication, a believer according to the canons of the generally accepted or at least acceptable form of Christianity. Already from the curious anomalous features of one of his creations we see that he was trying to tell us about another layer of meaning 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 tenets of Christianity. This in itself is unlikely to be news to many modern materialists/rationalists, since for them Leonardo was the first true scientist, a man who had no time for any superstitions, a man who was the antithesis of all mysticism and occultism. But they also could not understand what appeared before their eyes. Depicting the Last Supper without wine is tantamount to depicting a coronation scene without a crown: the result is 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 a faith that contradicts the dogmas of Christianity. Perhaps not just different, but in a state of struggle with the dogmas of Christianity. And in other works of Leonardo we find his own peculiar heretical predilections, expressed in carefully crafted relevant scenes, which he would hardly have written in exactly the same way, being simply an atheist earning his living. There are too many of these deviations and symbols to be interpreted as the mockery of a skeptic forced to work according to an order, nor can they be called simply antics, such as, for example, the image of St. Peter with a red nose. What we see in the Last Supper and other works is the secret code of Leonardo da Vinci, which we believe has a striking connection with our modern world.

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

With such a contradictory 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 something of no relevance to our modern times. It is generally accepted that Leonardo was an extremely gifted man, but the modern tendency to evaluate everything in terms of "era" leads to a significant underestimation of his achievements. After all, at the time when he was in his creative prime, even printing was a novelty. What can one lone inventor, living in such primitive times, offer to a world that is bathed in an ocean of information through global network, a world that in a matter of seconds exchanges information via telephone and fax with continents that in his time had not yet been discovered?

There are two answers to this question. First: Leonardo was not, let's 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 unusual for the time in which he lived that people with an eccentric turn of mind can imagine that he was given the power to foresee the future. His bicycle design, for example, became known only in the late sixties of the twentieth century. Unlike the painful trial-and-error evolution that the Victorian bicycle underwent, Leonardo da Vinci's road eater already had two wheels and a chain drive in its first edition. But what is even more striking is not the design of the mechanism, but the question of the reasons that prompted the invention of the wheel. Man has always wanted to fly like a bird, but the dream of balancing on two wheels and pressing the pedals, taking into account the deplorable state of the roads, already smacks of mysticism. (Remember, by the way, that unlike the dream of flying, it does not appear in any classical story.) Among many other statements about the future, Leonardo also predicted the appearance of the telephone.

Even if Leonardo were an even greater genius than the history books say, the question still remains unanswered: what possible knowledge could he have possessed if what he proposed made sense or became widespread only five centuries after his time. One can, of course, make the argument that the teachings of a first-century preacher would seem to have even less relevance to our time, but the indisputable fact remains: some ideas are universal and eternal, the truth, found or formulated, does not cease to be the truth after the passage of centuries. ..

(to be continued)

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

Particularly heated debates erupted in the world after the film adaptation scandalous romance Dan Brown" The Da Vinci Code", where, among other things, he states that Mary Magdalene was not only the beloved disciple of Jesus, but also the consort, that is, the wife . The book has been translated into 44 languages ​​and published total circulation more than 81 million copies. "The Da Vinci Code" tops the New York Times bestseller list, considered by many to be best book decades. The novel, written in the genre of an intellectual detective thriller, was able to awaken widespread interest in the legend of the Holy Grail and the place of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity.

However, the Christian world reacted very sharply to the release of the book and film; Dan Brown's version was destroyed with a thousand critical responses and comments. One of the zealous ministers of religion put it most eloquently, even calling for a boycott of the film: “piercingly anti-Christian, full of slander, crimes and historical and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospel and a hostile church.” However, putting aside religious narrow-mindedness, one thing can be said for sure: none of the critics was alive then, and real story can't know. It may be known to the one whose name is inscribed in the title of our site, and we will return to his words.

SKETCH FOR "THE LAST SUPPER"

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

SUMMARY

Everyone sees what they want 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 that it is right. We were not present at the painting of the famous monumental painting by the brilliant artist, just as we were not present at the epoch-making events in 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 it is John or Mary, but subjectively, in the picture Leonardo Da Vinci is a woman, and therefore none other than the beloved disciple of Jesus - Mary Magdalene. The Church’s opinion that the Apostle John the Theologian is in the picture is of the same degree of subjectivity. 50/50 - no more!!!

Prepared by Dato Gomarteli (Ukraine-Georgia)

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

Vyacheslav Adrov:

Announcement...

In Milan, in the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie is famous fresco, which has haunted numerous researchers of the personality of its author for hundreds of years. Since this is Leonardo himself, it is believed that there must be some kind of secret or, at least, a riddle in his work. There are many ideas and versions known about the secret messages embedded in the fresco. For example, Dan Brown's version, which caused a lot of noise in the art world. I, like everyone else, took a close look at the image and, guess what, it seems to me that I understood its additional meaning (if it was intended)! And Dan Brown's version is just a superficial reaction to the detail necessary to reflect the author's holistic intent. Moreover, there is a detail (a effeminate figure next to Christ) that carries a completely different meaning. No hints about the life partner of Christ!

In order to preserve the emotionality and dynamics of thoughts, I decided to write down thoughts and intellectual impulses as they arise and are realized. Thus, I maintained the atmosphere of research, writing down the next portion of mental developments; I still don’t know whether they will be useful in the future and, generally speaking, how will it all end? Will there be any interesting results? That's why the genre is indicated in the subtitle.

The mystery of Leonardo da Vinci's fresco "The Last Supper"

(detective investigation of one biased viewing of the famous fresco)

Part 1.

I start as usual. Returning from another trip organized by the “7 Peaks Club”, sitting in a rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket, looking at the raging fiery tongues of the fireplace stove and sipping... (insert yourself: pipe, cigar, cognac, Calvados,...), I thought about and I assessed the results of the trip and prepared for the next one. And then a reproduction of the fresco “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci caught my eye (or popped into my imagination). As befits a normal traveler, I, of course, was in that very refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan. And, of course, I admired (and now even more so) one of the master’s greatest creations (although almost nothing is visible on it, photo 1).

Briefly, to refresh your memory. The fresco (although, in fact, this image is not a fresco due to the peculiarities of the technology for its creation) has dimensions of 450 * 870 cm and was created in the period from 1495 to 1498 by order of Duke Ludovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice d’Este. Because it was not created like a typical fresco - painted with egg tempera on a dry wall covered with layers of resin, plaster and mastic - it began to deteriorate very early and was restored many times. At the same time, the attitude of restorers towards it was not always distinguished by such reverence as is customary now - faces and figures were corrected, various technologies for applying paint and protective coating were used. When trying to move it to another place in 1821, it was almost destroyed. There is nothing to say about the attitude of the French occupiers towards it, who set up an armory and prison prisoners in the monastery (there was such an episode in the history of the refectory).

A little about the plot. It is inspired by the biblical story of Jesus' last dinner with his disciples, where he said that one of those present would betray him. According to most art critics, Leonardo’s work most expressively of all similar works on this subject conveys the degree of the apostles’ emotional reaction to these words of Jesus.

How long has this fresco existed (more than 500 years), for the same number of years researchers and interpreters have been studying this work, finding or trying to find secret signs, symbols, riddles, messages,... Here there is surprise at the quality of the conveyed perspective, evidence of the use of the golden ratio, the search for the secret of the number 3 (3 windows, 3 groups of apostles, a triangle of the figure of Christ). Someone sees an image of Mary Magdalene on the fresco (with female symbol V and the symbol M associated with her name - this is about Dan Brown), or John the Baptist with his favorite gesture - raised up index finger. I'm interested in all this, but not very much. As our man - an engineer - Leonardo must be practical, although the historical situation makes its own adjustments to the need to use the “Aesopian language”, and he could leave a DATE on his work! Which one? This is his choice, but the date is important for himself or for the entire World of the event. And I started looking for it in the image!

Let me remind you that the most reliable way fixation of dates, which does not depend on chronological systems, calendar reforms, the duration of the reigns of kings and dukes, the founding and destruction of cities, and even setting the date of the creation of the World - according to the stars, i.e., drawing up a horoscope! And this method was widely used not only in the Middle Ages. You may ask why I suddenly decided that there might be a date on the image? It seems to me that the author gladly took advantage of the great chance associated with the number 12. 12 hours, 12 months, 12 signs of the Zodiac, 12 apostles,... Well, I’ll also say about the horoscope. It uniquely determines the date if the locations of even seven planets visible to the naked eye in the constellations at the time of observation are indicated. Repetitions of such combinations are very rare and occur after hundreds of thousands of years! (With fewer accurately indicated planets, the repetition period is shorter, but there are still very high chances of accurately indicating the date on historical period.) Since modern calculation methods based on the laws of celestial mechanics make it possible to restore the position of the planets in the sky at any moment, to determine the date, all that remains is to correctly set the initial data - that is, the location of the planets according to the constellations on the desired day.

So, I begin to peer and examine.

Apostles. Most likely (due to their number) these are symbols of the zodiac signs. But how can signs be distributed between characters, and who corresponds to which sign? Several comments immediately arise.

In many images of this plot, including on icons, judging by appearance characters, not only is the seating order inconsistent, but they also sit sometimes in a row, sometimes in a circle, sometimes in groups, that is, there seems to be no canonical (traditional) order. For a long time, they could not identify all the characters in Leonardo’s image. Only four were reliably identified (out of 13!): Judas, John, Peter and Christ. Allegedly, in the 19th century, the diaries of Leonardo himself were “discovered” and everything was determined (there were also clues in the form of signatures under the characters on some modern copies of the fresco). Due to the dynamic arrangement of the figures - their “mixing”, “peeking out” from behind each other friend - there is a possibility that the constellations (if they are there) are not in zodiacal order.

One way or another, in accordance with prevailing ideas, the fresco depicts (from left to right, in the order of the FACES):

Bartholomew, Jacob Alpheus, Andrew, Judas Iscariot, Peter, John, Jesus Christ, Thomas, James Zebedee, Philip, Matthew, Judas Thaddeus, Simon.

To identify signs by which one could recognize allusions to the signs of the zodiac in the apostles, I tried to collect available factual information about the biographies of the characters, not yet knowing what of this might be useful (Table 1):

Their other names and nicknames;

The order of calling by Christ (only the first four are known);

Approximate age based on visual assessment of images (more based on a copy by an unknown artist (photo 2);

The degree of kinship with Christ and the other apostles (who is interested in this topic, I recommend literature, except, of course, the Gospels: James D. Tabor “The Dynasty of Jesus” (AST, 2007), Michael Baigent “The Papers of Jesus” (Eksmo, 2008), Robert Ambelain “ Jesus or the Deadly Secrets of the Templars" (Eurasia, 2005), V.G. Nosovsky, A.T. Fomenko "Tsar of the Slavs" (Neva, 2005), "Apocryphal Tales (Patriarchs, Prophets and Apostles)" edited by V. Vitkovsky. (Amphora, 2005));

The occupation of the apostles before their ministry;

Circumstances of death;

Location of the graves and relics of the apostles.

I invite those who wish to clarify and add details to fill out the table more completely - it is very entertaining, and the information may be useful.

Finding information to fill out this table was very interesting and cognitive process, but it didn’t give me any ideas that I needed!

Let's continue. Since Leonardo arranged the apostles in groups of 3 people, and even mixed them up there, then maybe the order of the signs is not important for him? What if we play around with these threes - these are groupings of signs by types of elements?! Fire, earth, air, water? And what - 4 groups of 3 signs! Or maybe we should take into account the figure of Christ as a sign of the zodiac, and exclude Judas from consideration altogether!? After all, in almost all images of the Last Supper, artists separated Judas from the rest - either painted with very dark colors, or turned his face away from the viewer, or, as in the icons, deprived him, unlike the others, of a halo. And then - what sign can the figure of Christ represent? Maybe his sign is Capricorn? Then the division into groups seems to be broken and the division into groups itself loses its meaning (if there is one). And Leonardo's Judas visual means not very humbled. He, like 7 (!) other of the 12 apostles, is depicted in profile, but only slightly more turned away from the viewer.

Let's look further at the details of the image. Items on the table: maybe there are clues somewhere - filling and placement of glasses, placement of breads, plates, salt shakers, other items,...? Elements, colors of clothing,...? Hairstyles, degree of gray hair, presence and length of beard, ...? Stop! Beard! There are seven visible planets in total that were known before the invention of Galileo’s tube, together with the Sun and Moon, and also Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Thus, the maximum number of pointers to the planets is 7. We count the beards: in total, of different lengths, there are 8 of them. Together with the beard of Jesus. But maybe his beard shouldn’t be counted? I wonder who then is the Sun if not him?! Let's go further - hands. Who's holding what? Maybe some combinations on the fingers? Their relative position? We fill out the table further so that it is always before our eyes. Maybe not right away, but something will open up?

I'm rocking in a chair, sipping... Or maybe the bearded ones are planets after all, and, for example, some kind of comet? But, of the seven planets, two are feminine: Venus and the Moon, it’s somehow difficult to associate them with beards. Let's take a closer look at the apostles: the artist gave two figures a clear effeminate appearance: John and Philip - both their faces and poses with crossed arms. Maybe this is an allusion to “female planets”? I’m rocking in my chair again: Leonardo da Vinci during his lifetime did not intend to be famous for centuries and wrote the fresco for the Customer and his contemporaries, so that with a little mental strain they could understand his additional message (except for the semantic and aesthetic).

What's in Judas's hand? And Peter’s too? No, Judas apparently has a bag of silver, which he will soon receive, and Peter has a knife, probably as a symbol of his future (ostentatious?) determination in the process of detaining Jesus. All this is semantic attributes.

Still, we need to decide. I'm putting forward a hypothesis. The viewer's gaze is instinctively drawn to the figure of Jesus - this is God, this is the Sun! On his right hand is a young, but very energetic and aggressive man (John), whom Jesus, like his brother Jacob of Zebedee, called Boanerges (Boanerges) - apparently, “very, twice as energetic”! They reacted very aggressively and sometimes with anger to injustice, humiliation and insults and to things that were not going the way they would like! Moreover, completely in the style of the Caucasians, so that Christ had to restrain them! (this is where the previously collected information in table 1 came in handy -

This implies that they had appropriate hormonal levels and secondary sexual characteristics. And how do we see this aggressive person in Leonardo - yes, she is a humble girl, such that some ( Dan Brown) she is considered a woman - Mary Magdalene! With such an obvious discrepancy, Leonardo hints - this is the constellation Virgo! And now let us once again pay attention to Jacob of Zebedee, whose figure (and NOT FACE) is closest to the left of Christ. He spread his arms in different directions. According to commentators, he restrains the apostles who emotionally perceived the words of Christ (or, perhaps, physically protects Jesus from a possible uncontrolled release of energy (that’s him, Boanerges!). And what do I see? With his spread arms, he looks like... Libra! !! Then it turns out that Jesus the Sun is located between the constellations Virgo and Libra! And all the signs are lined up in the usual order - from Aries to Pisces! And where are the other planets, except the Sun? I get up to sit in the rocking chair. laid out tables, printouts of the fresco. Mama Mia! (I’m hitting myself on the forehead!) Here they are, the signs of the planets! Just in the most obvious place! No racking my brain! Eh, I’m out of ink! a pen, and I’ll rock a little in the chair.

I draw your attention - since we identified Jacob the Elder with Libra, this means that the constellations are distributed not in the order of the PERSONS, but in the order of the seated FIGURES!

last supper Leonardo da Vinci’s painting is so large-scale and mysterious that for centuries advice and tips have been passed on about what angle to look at it from so as not to miss a single detail. It is believed that you need to move nine meters away from the canvas and rise 3.5 meters up. Such distances seem too large until you remember the enormous dimensions of the painting - 460 by 880 cm.

The name Leonardo is shrouded in many secrets. For centuries, the best minds of mankind have been trying to unravel the hidden intentions of his creations, but it is unlikely that it will ever be possible to fully comprehend the full depth of his genius. However, there are facts that art critics have no doubt about. So, they are sure that the painting was created in 1495-1498 by order of Leonardo’s patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza, who was advised to do so by his meek wife Beatrice d’Este. The fresco is in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. This is where the unconditional truths end, and space for debate, opinions and reflection begins.

There is ambiguity even in the definition of the painting technique that da Vinci used when creating The Last Supper. Out of habit, I would like to call it a fresco, but this is not so. Fresco is painting on wet plaster, and the artist painted the picture on a dry wall in order to be able to make changes and additions to it in the future.

The work is located on the back wall of the monastery refectory. This arrangement is not strange or accidental: the theme of the picture is the last Easter dinner of Jesus Christ with his disciples and apostles. All depicted figures are located on one side of the table so that the viewer can see the face of each of them. The apostles are grouped in groups of three, and this symbol of three is found in other elements of the picture: in the triangles that themselves form from lines, in the number of windows behind Jesus. Leonardo da Vinci's work differs from a number of paintings on this topic also because there is no halo over any of the characters he depicts, the viewer is invited to look at events from an exclusively human point of view.

The emotions of each of the apostles are unique and are not repeated by other participants in the action. The viewer has the opportunity to see that they all react in their own way to the words of Jesus Christ, who said:

“...Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

Leonardo da Vinci worked most carefully on the images of Christ and Judas. Exists interesting legend that they were written by the same person. They say that Leonardo saw the prototype of Jesus in young singer from church choir. Three years passed, and the artist met a completely degenerate man, from whom he painted Judas. The model’s confession turned out to be shocking: he was the same young singer, but in a few years he managed to move away from goodness and purity to licentiousness and darkness.

The idea that good and evil coexist in our world can also be seen in the color scheme of the painting: the artist used techniques that are based on contrasts.

Many questions regarding The Last Supper remain unanswered, but one thing is certain - this creation is an important milestone in the development of painting of the 15th-16th centuries. Thus, it was possible to bring the depth of perspective to a new level and create a sense of volume, which even stereo cinema of our day can envy.

If we talk about monuments of art and culture of world significance, we cannot fail to mention the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci. And, undoubtedly, one of the most famous is his work “The Last Supper”. Some claim that the master was inspired to write it by a spark from God, while others insist that for the sake of such mastery he sold his soul to the devil. But one thing is undeniable - the skill and care with which the artist recreated all the nuances of the scene from the Gospel still remains an unattainable dream for most painters.

So, what secrets does this image hide? Read and find out!

Scene of Christ's last supper with his disciples

The history of the painting

Leonardo da Vinci received an order to write “The Last Supper” from his patron, the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza. This happened in 1495, and the reason was the death of the ruler’s wife, the modest and pious Beatrice d’Este. During her life, the famous womanizer Sforza neglected communication with his wife for the sake of entertainment with friends, but still loved her in his own way. The chronicles note that after the death of his lady, he declared fifteen days of mourning, praying in his chambers and not leaving them for a minute. And after this period expired, he ordered the court artist (who at that time was Leonardo) a painting in memory of the deceased.

The fresco is located in the Dominican Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Its painting lasted three whole years (whereas it usually took about three months to complete such a painting) and was completed only in 1498. The reason for this was the unusually large size of the work (460x880 cm) and the innovative technique used by the master.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Milan

Leonardo da Vinci did not paint on wet plaster, but on dry plaster, so that he could see the colors and details. In addition, he used not only oil paints, but also tempera - a mixture of pigment and egg white - which also caused the rapid deterioration of the work. The painting began to collapse twenty years after the artist made the last stroke. Now, in order to preserve it for posterity, a whole range of special events are being carried out. If this is not done, the fresco will completely disappear within 60 years.

Master's plan

Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper depicts one of the most famous and moving episodes in the Gospel. According to theological calculations, it was she who opened the Lord’s path to the cross, as the final battle with evil and death. At this moment, Christ's love for humanity manifested itself clearly and visibly - He sacrificed divine light to go into death and darkness. By sharing bread with the disciples, the Lord thereby joined each of us and left His testament. But at the same time, someone may reject this possibility - after all, God is not only love, but also freedom, and this is demonstrated to us by the act of Judas.

In order to adequately convey this deep and meaningful scene in colors, Leonardo did significant preparatory work. As indicated in the notes of his contemporaries, he walked the streets of Milan in search of models. The master made them laugh, upset them and surprised them, watched how people quarreled and made peace, confessed their love and parted - so that he could later reflect this in his work. That is why All participants in the Last Supper in the fresco are endowed with individuality, their own expression, pose and mood.

First sketches of the Last Supper. Located in the Venetian Academy

In addition, the painter abandoned traditional icon painting canons in favor of a realistic and natural image. At that time, painting Jesus and the apostles without the usual crowns, halos and mandorlas (golden radiance around the entire figure) was a rather bold idea, which was even criticized by some priests. But after the completion of the work, everyone unanimously admitted that no one had ever been able to convey the divine meal better.

Secrets of the painting The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

It is known that da Vinci was not only famous artist, but also an inventor, engineer, anatomist, scientist, and some even attribute to him a connection with various mystical societies, of which there were quite a lot in Europe in the 15th century. Therefore, thanks to the skill of their creator, the works of Leonardo da Vinci also carry a certain touch of mystery and enigma. And it is precisely around the “Last Supper” that there are extremely many such prejudices and hoaxes. So, what secrets did the creator encrypt?

According to historians who study creative heritage Renaissance, the most difficult thing for the master was to write Jesus and Judas Iscariot. The Lord was supposed to appear before the audience as the embodiment of kindness, love and piety, while Judas was to become his opposite, a dark antagonist. It is not surprising that da Vinci could not find suitable sitters. But one day during a service, he saw a young singer in the church choir - his young face was so spiritual and impeccable that the painter immediately realized that this particular person could become a prototype of Christ. But even after his figure was painted, the artist spent a long time adjusting and correcting it, trying to achieve perfection.

Leonardo drew the prototype of Judas and Jesus from one sitter, without knowing it

All that remained was to depict Iscariot - and again Leonardo could not find the right person. He went to the dirtiest and most neglected areas of Milan, wandering for hours through low-quality taverns and ports, trying to find someone whose face would serve as a suitable model. And finally, luck smiled at him - in a roadside ditch he saw a drunk man. The artist ordered him to be taken to church and, without even allowing him to wake up from his intoxication, began to capture the image. After finishing the work, the drunkard said that he had already seen it once, and even participated - only that time they painted Christ from him... According to contemporaries, this proved how thin the line is between a prosperous life and a fall - and how easy it is to cross it!

It is also interesting that the rector of the church in which the fresco was located often distracted Leonardo da Vinci, pointing out that he should work harder and not stand for hours in front of the image - and certainly not wander around the city in search of sitters! Finally, the painter got so tired of this that one day he promised the abbot that he would paint Judas with his face if he did not immediately stop commanding and pointing!

Disciple or Mary Magdalene?

There are still discussions about who Leonardo da Vinci depicted in the painting according to left hand from the Savior. According to some art critics, the gentle, graceful face of this character simply cannot belong to a man, which means that the artist introduced Mary Magdalene into the plot, one of the women who followed the Shepherd. Some go even further, suggesting that she was the legal wife of Jesus Christ. Confirmation of this is found in the arrangement of figures on the fresco - leaning towards each other, they form a stylized letter "M", meaning "Matrimonio" - marriage. Other researchers do not agree with this, assuring that the outlines of the bodies can only be connected into the letter “V” - da Vinci’s initials.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene on the Last Supper fresco

But there is other evidence that Magdalene was the wife of Christ. Thus, in the Gospel you can see references to how she washed His feet with myrrh and dried them with her hair (John 12:3), and this could only be done by a woman legally married to a man. In addition, some apocrypha claim that at the time of the Lord’s crucifixion on Calvary, Mary was pregnant, and the daughter Sarah born to her became the ancestor of the French royal Merovingian dynasty.

Placement of figures and objects

The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci is distinguished not only by the realism and liveliness of the human figures - the master carefully worked out the space surrounding them, the cutlery, and even the landscape. Each feature of the work contains a coded message.

For example, scientists have found that the order in which the figures of the apostles are located on the fresco is not at all random - it corresponds to the sequence of the zodiac circle. So, if you adhere to this pattern, you can see that Jesus Christ was a Capricorn - a symbol of movement forward, to new heights and achievements, and spiritual development. This sign is identified with Saturn - the deity of time, fate and harmony.

But the mysterious figure next to the Savior, which was already mentioned above, is located under the sign of Virgo. This is another proof in favor of the fact that the master showed Mary Magdalene in the picture.

Amber icon “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci

It is also interesting to study the arrangement of objects on the table. In particular, near Judas’s hand you can see an upside-down salt shaker (which was already considered a sign of trouble in those days), and in addition, his plate is empty. This is a sign that he was unable to accept the grace given by the coming of the Lord and rejected His gift.

Even the fish served to the diners is a reason for disputes. Art critics have long debated what exactly Leonardo depicted. Some say that this is a herring - its Italian name, “aringa”, is consonant with “arringare” - teaching, preaching, instruction. But according to others, this is an eel - in the dialect of Eastern Italy it is called “anguilla”, which for Italians sounds similar to “one who rejects religion”.

During its existence, the fresco was repeatedly in danger of destruction. So, during World War II, an artillery shell that flew into the window of the church disfigured and partially destroyed all the walls - except for the one where the work was written!

The famous painting still exists - and reveals more and more secrets to us, the solution of which is yet to be solved. In the meantime, you can admire numerous copies and reproductions made from the most different materials. For example, the Last Supper made of amber, poured from semi-precious crumbs and inlaid with large stones, is simply amazing - it combines masterful execution and the mystery of the original!

The name itself famous painting Da Vinci's "Last Supper" carries a sacred meaning. Indeed, many of Leonardo’s paintings are surrounded by 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.
The restoration of the legendary creation was recently completed. Thanks to this, we managed to learn a lot interesting facts related to its history. The meaning of the picture still remains cloudy and not entirely clear for many. Around hidden meaning“The Last Supper” gives birth to more and more new guesses.
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most mysterious personalities in history visual arts. Some almost canonize the artist and write odes of praise 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.

The history of the painting