The Last Supper (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date The Last Supper Leonardo da Vinci and Tintoretto are popular in art for representing the same incident, The Last Supper. The Last Supper is among the most important events in early Christianity. It is so significant that various artists have visually recorded them, but Leonardo's and Tintoretto's paintings are by far the most renowned depiction of The Last Supper. Although the two arts portray the same subject, the artists use different styles and arrangements to address key issues regarding the early church. The two paintings are organized differently, showing both symmetrical and asymmetrical drawings. Leonardo added lines to his painting to make it symmetrical. The room has four square curtains on each of the two sides depicted by Leonardo (Janson et al. 247). The Windows are uniformly distributed in the background. Besides, Leonardo presents a uniform horizontal arrangement, with a team of Jesus' disciples sitting evenly with Christ at the center (Zani 436). Conversely, Tintoretto's painting is asymmetrical, crowded, and complex. It is difficult to identify some disciples in this image. The artists represented different moments of The Last Supper. Leonardo chose a scene when Jesus declared that one of his disciples was disloyal and would betray him. Contrarily, Tintoretto selected the moment Jesus shared bread and wine, signifying the body and blood of Christ, respectively. These instances were marked by varying emotions among the disciples, thus, the difference in the paintings' arrangements. Events layouts differ in the two arts. Leonardo creates a horizontal painting with a huge table in the foreground and all other images behind it. This art is symmetrical as the number of disciples on the left and right sides of Christ is equal. Leonardo’s painting is in one-point view, with Christ's head being the pivotal point (Zani 436). Conversely, Tintoretto presents a structured painting, with the large table being diagonal and dividing the image into separate sections. Although the painting is in a one-point perspective, the pivotal point appears in the dark part of the picture. Tintoretto demonstrates a highly imaginative drawing. Further, the two arts vary in the media used to create them. Leonardo uses a fresco technique with tempera paints and oil. His painting appears poor because he employs experimental styles. For instance, instead of using dye to wet plaster, he tries dry plaster. For this reason, the colors do not blend perfectly into the surface. On the other hand, Tintoretto paints The Last Supper on oil canvas employing bold highlights and broad brushwork on a dark surface. Thus, Tintoretto's painting appears to have stronger and more visible emotions than Leonardo's. The two artists have employed symbolic representation. Tintoretto uses his art to symbolize life, while Leonardo denotes death. These varying themes explain the different facial expressions and drama in the two images. The artists used gestures to demonstrate common motion and not necessarily the drama that characterized The Last Supper. The disciples'...