The Last Supper
from 1495 until 1498
Leonardo da Vinci captured the exact moment Jesus drops the bombshell that one of his disciples will betray him, turning a quiet dinner into a chaotic scene of shock and gossip. Instead of the traditional static lineup, the twelve apostles are grouped in animated clusters of four, reacting with wild gestures and whispered conversations. Leonardo experimented with a new technique on the dry wall of the refectory rather than traditional wet plaster, which is why the masterpiece began flaking apart almost as soon as the paint dried. It's a brilliant snapshot of human drama frozen in time, right there on the dining hall wall of a convent in Milan.
- Dimensions
- 460 cm × 880 cm
Location: Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan