The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-03-08
HoRN1Na STAR AND CATHOLIC UEsWNGx1-
NEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY. MARCH 9. 1854
TIE Last surrxR OF LzosAxDo IA vmc1.

Catholic quarterly, published in Germany.
The author is considered the ablest 1ecclesi-
astical historian in that country, and occu-
pies the position of Professor in the Catho<
lie Faculty of Tubingen University
The eliminating period of religious paint
ing in Italy begins with Leonardo da Vinci,
who, like Michael Angelo, was painter,
sculptor, and architect, especially engineer,
and also musician and imprOvisatOr-one
of the most gifted and cultivated men of
his time. He was born in the year 1452, in
the castle of Vinci, near Florence was ed
ucated at the school Of the Tuscan master,
Andrea erOcchio, spent many years of his
life at Milan, and there, between the ages
of thirty and forty, painted for the refectory
= of the DOminicans of Maria dele Grazia,
that most celebrated of al his works, the
"Last Supper" AS the Book of the Imi-
tation of Christ infinitely surpasses all the
SO does the Last Supper surpass all other
works of Leonardo da Vinci. Even his
celebrated picture of I" Mary under the
Rock" in the Louvre, Leonardo da Vinci
lived the last part of his life in Paris, and
died at st. Cloud in 1922 is far inferior
to it.
The size of the Last Supper" is twenty
eight Paris feet in length by eighteen in
height, and the thirteen figures are once
and half the size of life. It is not q fresco,
but is painted in oils upon the whitewashed
wall. He preferred working in oils, not
only because it gave room for improvements,
but because it also permitted the most exact
execution of details, and the adornment of
high coloring.
Afterward, in l726, the monks commits
stoned the painter, Belloti, to renovate the
picture He boosted the possession of a
in their original freshness. The monks be-
lieved the char.atan, and he-painted 0rer
the picture with reckless hand. Less i'm
portant was the-evil done by second I'M
known restorer, who painted Stle picture
over in water-colors, which were easily re-
moved.
Among the copies, about thirty in num-
Der, those of Marco dOggione, Q pupil of
Leonardo, are the oldest and best. "A second
smaller copy was prepared by d'OggiOpe for
the refectory of the clOister of Castelazzo,
near Milan, and, if I remember rightly, is
merly the Jesuit College of st. Mary in
Brcra, i. e., in the meadow
"In this picture" says an art-critic of
our day, {" the dramatist can study acting,
the sculptor plastic grouping, the painter
drawing, expression of countenance, dra-
perry, everything pertaining to his art, ex-
cept color"
Every one who has seen the picture itself,
or q copy, will raise two questions first,
which of the Apostles has the artist wished
to represent in each of the figures and,
secondly, what emotions OF feelings does
each express f=---
Cardinal Wiseman, in the third volume
of his :. Treatises on Various Subjects, p.
40 ct sea-, has made some excellent obser-
yations on the "Last Supper" Making use
of all these helps, and after studying and
comparing the original, and number OF its
copies, we have come to the following re-
suits:
In the middle of the picture sits our Sa-
viour, in a purple tunic and blue mantle:
He has inst spoken the words: "One OF you
shall betray me-" 1t was master thought
of da Vinci to seize this moment. Painters
have usually chosen the institution OF the
Eucharist as their subject, but this leaves
no room for the play of human passions,
and gives to every countenance one and the
same expression of devotion, The moment
here chosen, on the other hand, Immediate
ly after the Saviour had spoken the words
above mentioned, allows the greatest va
riety of expression and action. Certainly :,
n representation of the moment of the in
stitution of the Lords Supper must of neces-
-sity make n more monOtOnOus, and q much
less living and dramatic picture, as dozens
of works by other artists bear witness.
The head of Christ is gently entforward,
and turned toward the side where the be-
trayer is not sitting He is looking down.
Il The Lord will not look at Judas, nor at any
one in particular, because he does not wish
to designate the guilty person. The action
of the arms and hands expresses naturally
and simply the thought, t' lie is one of you: y
ANY orator would now accompany his
words, SO it is with you," with a similar
gesture. Any one saying, "Verily, verify,
he is among you, would necessarily incline
the head; and Christ inclines 1T toward
that side where the betrayer is not sitting,
On each side of the Lord are six Apostles,
again disposed in two smaller groups3 but
the composition is SO well arranged that
these smaller groups seAwto belong together,
and yet the whole thirtSen persons form ONE
extreme figure ON the right hand of Christ
1.-THE left hand of the spectator,) we see the
Apostle Bartholomew, q strong young man
with sharp profile, in q light blue tunit