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Leonardo da Vinci’s Renaissance masterpiece remains the most iconic visual representation of the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus shared with his twelve apostles before crucifixion.
Given the episode’s centrality in Christian belief and liturgy, the Last Supper had been a popular subject for artists long before da Vinci. And it continues to be so today, with several Indian artists too, providing their own compelling interpretations.
As Christians around the world get ready to observe Good Friday, the day of Christ’s crucifixion, on April 18, here’s a brief look at The Last Supper of da Vinci, as well as some notable Indian artistic interpretations.
While the Bible itself does not contain the term ‘Last Supper’, the events of the night before Christ’s crucifixion are mentioned in all four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), and the First Corinthians.
The story goes like this. Jesus gathered his twelve disciples in a room in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover. “And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”” (New International Version, Matthew 26:21).
He then prepares his disciples for his imminent departure by instituting the rite of the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, the central act of worship in Christianity in which Christians partake of bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus.
“…The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).
The Last Supper is commemorated by Christians on Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday or Thursday of the Lord’s Supper, on the day before Good Friday.
The 180×350 inch mural painted on the refectory (dining room) of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan is one of da Vinci’s most celebrated works. Commissioned by the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, it took three years, from 1495 to 1498, to complete the mural.
DEPICTION: Most visual depictions of the Last Supper capture either the moment Christ announces that one of his disciples would betray him, or the apostles receiving the Holy Communion. Da Vinci chose the former.
Each of his twelve disciples display expressions of shock, disbelief, and confusion. Da Vinci is known to have carefully selected models whose facial features and expressions he believed suited each apostle. In fact, he supposedly even visited prisons looking for a model who could depict Judas Iscariot, the one who betrays Christ.
MEDIUM: Unlike traditional frescoes, where pigments were applied on wet plaster, da Vinci painted The Last Supper on a drywall using egg tempera mixed with oil paint. This gives his mural its iconic luminosity.
At the same time, this choice of medium came with a major drawback: the paint had begun to peel even before da Vinci had completed his work. Several restorations have been carried out over the years to preserve the masterpiece, with the earliest dating to the 18th century.
SYMBOLISM: Apart from its technical brilliance — from its mastery of perspective to its display of complex human emotion — what makes The Last Supper so famous are the many layers of symbolism it is said to hide.
One of the most noted is the repeated use of the number three, symbolic of the Trinity, the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of the one God who is said to exist in three distinct divine persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.
Christ is positioned at the centre in a triangular formation. The apostles are grouped into four sets of three, and the room itself is adorned with four sets of tapestries on facing walls, separated by three spaces in between.
Italian musician Giovanni Maria Pala has proposed that the positions of the figures’ hands and loaves of bread can be interpreted as musical notes that can be read from right to left.
The figure of Judas is of particular interest. He is seen clutching a small bag, which is believed to hold the “30 pieces of silver” given to betray Christ. There is also a knocked-over salt cellar in front of him, perhaps a reference to “betraying the salt”, or betraying the trust of one’s master.
Several Indian modernists have interpreted the Last Supper.
JAMINI ROY: Roy (1887-1972) depicted several biblical themes in his works, including versions of the Last Supper — all in his trademark style characterised by bold lines, flat colours, and the use of traditional Bengali folk art elements. Christ and his disciples are depicted with large, almond-shaped eyes characteristic of Santal and Kalighat folk art.
A note on one of his versions from the late 1930s that is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London reads: “This work represents an instance of the artist’s early fascination for Christian themes. The painting depicts the twelve apostles in profile, six stand in the foreground and six in the background; Christ is the only figure depicted in full frontal view. All the figures have very large eyes, a characteristic feature of Jamini Roy’s work.”
KRISHEN KHANNA: Khanna (b. 1925) was introduced to da Vinci’s The Last Supper at the age of seven, when his father returned from Milan with a print of the masterpiece, and he recalls attempting to replicate the work in pencil as a child.
The Last Supper would go on to inspire several of his works, including the eponymous 1979 oil on canvas in a squarish format.
In Khanna’s interpretation, elements such as food and architectural details are intentionally omitted. The scene is set in a stark, minimalist room where the light falls solely on Christ, and the disciples gathered around him respond with a range of emotions to the revelation of the impending betrayal.
M F HUSAIN: Like Khanna, Husain (1915-2011) referenced the Last Supper in more than one painting. Among the better known of these is his Last Supper in Red Desert (2008), which contains several Arabic references and Islamic elements on the canvas.
Empty bowls are placed on a table supported by winged angels, and a camel stands in the background.
F N SOUZA: Souza (1924-2002) is renowned for his powerful portrayals of Christ. Among his renditions of the Last Supper is a grim and dark depiction from 1983, with a haloed Christ surrounded by apostles.
He returned to the theme in 1990, this time in brighter colours, with stylised heads and lopsided features, and some of the apostles in formal suits.
Many contemporary representations transcend biblical themes.
ARPANA CAUR: Caur’s (b. 1954) The Last Supper, painted during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlights environmental degradation due to human actions. Against the backdrop of a maze of buildings, lies an uprooted tree and animals and birds on their backs.
MADHVI PAREKH: In 2016, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bengaluru held an exhibition of more than 30 of Parekh’s (b. 1942) reverse glass paintings inspired by the work of da Vinci, all in her trademark bright colours and folk iconography. There were multiple depictions of the Last Supper, in which she noticeably magnifies the figure of Jesus, and fills the paintings with myriad details.
The series was triggered by Parekh’s visits to Milan, where she saw da Vinci’s mural, and to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.
VIVEK VILASINI: Kerala-born Vilasini (b. 1964) has photographic reproductions of the da Vinci masterpiece. One, shown at the India Art Fair in 2012, features 13 Kathakali dancers sitting at a table eating a traditional Kerala sadhya on banana leaves.
Another reenactment, titled Last Supper — Gaza, is more political, and shows 13 young women in burqas seated at a table, with only their eyes visible. Engaged in a discussion, they seem to share emotions of shock and dismay, reflecting on the conflict and turmoil that surrounds them.
JAGANNATH PANDA: Panda’s (b. 1970) 48-inch-diameter circular canvas presents a unique perspective of the Last Supper. According to cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, “Panda transposes the Last Supper on to the rim of an illusionistic Mantegna-style ceiling designed to look like the sky’s dome: Jesus and the Apostles seem to gaze down at us while curlicues Chinese-style clouds swirl above them” (‘The Perennial Mystique of The Last Supper’, 2021).
