Visual Arts: An Analysis of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and The Last Supper

Running head: VISUAL ARTS
VISUAL ARTS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note:

1VISUAL ARTS
Visual art is the art form where through visual depiction of various images certain
messages are communicated or certain scenes and events are portrayed. These scenes can be
historical, mythical or imaginative. Visual art has been the most important medium among all the
other art forms. In the present age of multimedia everywhere depiction of visual art can be seen.
In modern day consumerism depends on the use of visual art in various ways(Kesner, 2014).
In the middle ages and the later Renaissance period the artists used a lot of visual art,
mainly painting and sculpture which are still a point of study for all the contemporary art
students. The paintings of the classical era mainly depended on the depiction of Biblical
incidents, and in the later part after the Renaissance, other humanistic figures and themes were
depicted in the paintings and sculptures of the Renaissance period. Renaissance literally meant
rebirth, and the rebirth signifies the rebirth of human consciousness and understanding(Kemp &
Pallanti,2017). The power of questioning was re-instated in the human beings and through the
depictions of the different themes in their visual arts the artists started conveying messages of
humanism in the renaissance art.
The two visual art pieces chosen in this case are the two Renaissance painting of
Leonardo da Vinci known as Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. These two paintings were created
during the Renaissance period in Europe when a host of Venetian artist had created a number of
master pieces through different mediums of visual art such as painting, sculpture and
architecture(Morrison,2014). Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo andRaphael
established milestones in their own own fields. The other master pieces of the period are “Virgin
of the Rocks”, “The Entombment” and the “Fresco painting at Sistine Chapel”. All of these
paintings have their own distinctive style.

2VISUAL ARTS
In this paper the two works which are taken are Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. In the
painting Last Supper Leonardo Da Vinci depicted the last supper of Jesus before he was betrayed
by one of the Apostles. This was taken from the Gospel of John. The Last Supper was placed in
the end wall of the hall of Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Milan of Italy. The work was
completed in 1498. The situation was very finely depicted by Leonardo Da Vinci when he
announced that one of the Apostles would be betraying him. The reaction of each of the Apostles
were depicted. The expression that has been depicted in the face of Judas very expertly expresses
his “taken aback situation” by the sudden revelation of his plan. He has been also placed in a
rather shadowy region compared to the other apostles. There is a debate about why exactly Judas
is holding a bag full of silver coins. This can be either the depiction of payment given to him by
the enemies as a payment for betraying Jesus, or this can be showing his role as a treasurer of the
12 apostles. The salt container in front of him is tipped which shows that he has betrayed the salt
which again signifies the betraying of one’s “master”. Thomas has a finger straight pointed up
which probably predicts the resurrection of Jesus. The painting is similar to other depictions of
last supper from the same time where all the apostles and Jesus is showing their face towards the
painter so that in the painting everyone’s face is visible. Jesus is seen to be pointing towards the
bread, he predicts that the betrayer will take the bread and on the other hand Judas as well
reaches for the bread not knowing about the prediction made by Jesus.
Formalism is the way of understanding a particular artwork based on the basic elements
of the painting, based on the forms that has been given to it and the principles of it (Buchloh,
2015). The viewer and the painting, or any artwork that is viewed, has to have an interaction in
order to properly instill the true meaning of the artwork in the viewers mind. “The study of the
elements and principles of art is the foundation to the formal study of a visual object”( Buchloh,