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Tianyu Tian

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The painting technique of ​The Last Supper

Linear perspective was invented in 1415 during the Renaissance period. Artists

use linear perspective to create a distant perception in a flat surface. Allowing them to

create a three-dimensional on a two-dimensional surface. Before this drawing technique

was invented, earlier paintings did not use foreshortening. Artists usually size objects

and characters by the spiritual or thematic importance. The most important figures of

artworks are always in the highest position. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is

one of the most famous artworks in the world, and it’s also a good demonstration of

linear perspective.

The three basic components of the linear perspective system are vanishing point,

the horizon line, and orthogonals. In a linear perspective, the vanishing point is the point

on the horizontal line, and the parallel backward line is reduced to that point. It enables

us to create drawings, paintings and photos with a three-dimensional appearance. In

The Last Supper, the vanishing point is Jesus Crist, the main subject of this painting.

The horizon line in this painting is the table. Orthogonal, the parallel lines on a painting

are a diagonal line along a receding parallel line to the vanishing point. Orthogonals

helps artists to maintain the realism of the painting. Transversal lines are always at right

angles to the orthogonal lines. They are perpendicular lines on the painting that are

used to fix height or width for objects.

When Panofsky describes perspective, he said perspective allows us to have a

sense of 'distance’ from the pictured world. In the Middle Ages, people gave light a

sacred existence. Regard light as the most important factor, because the light and

shade of light can help artists better depict a picture with a sense of space. The Last

Supper is the most classic story in the Bible. This is Leonardo da Vinci's painting at a

monastery in Milan. The man sitting in the middle is Jesus, with his six disciples on the

left and six of his disciples on the right, a total of thirteen people are shown in this

painting. The painting looks dirty, but it is actually due to a mistake made by Leonardo

da Vinci. He used a kind of paint invented by himself when he painted the picture at that

time. The paint was mixed with eggs and milk, so it didn't take long for it to rot.

Leonardo da Vinci created this world-famous painting during the Renaissance,

he began the work in 1495, completed it in 1498. During the Renaissance, painters

were not called artists. They were paid for their work. The abbot of the monastery was

rude and mean to Leonardo da Vinci, and he has heard of many abbot's problems of

embezzlement and collection of money. When he saw the face of the dean's increase,

he had a plan in mind. Painted the abbot as Judas in The Last Supper.

Veltman, Kim H. "Panofsky’s perspective: A half century later." ​Actas del congreso: la perspectiva

renacentista. Milan​. 1977.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. ​The Last Supper​. Electa, 2000.