The Last Supper

[takethepoints]

It's well known that Leonardo's The Last Supper has deteriorated beyond repair. The original fresco was
painted, for reasons known only to Leonardo and God, on a dry surface and has been flaking away ever since. Clumsy restoration efforts haven't helped.

However - and I didn't know this - there is a copy of the original using oil and canvas that was made by Leonardo's students as an exercise about the same time that he was painting the fresco. That copy has long been considered the best source for seeing what the original probably looked like when it was brand new. The entire 8 meter long painting has now been curated in a high resolution scan by the Royal Academy of Art. The results are here:

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/explore-the-last-supper/sAKCB2AzvHUmKQ

This is like seeing the Sistine Chapel after they cleaned the frescos; the impact is remarkable. Leonardo was a genius in many ways, but as a painter he was The Bomb.

 

[MidtownJacket]

It's well known that Leonardo's The Last Supper has deteriorated beyond repair. The original fresco was
painted, for reasons known only to Leonardo and God, on a dry surface and has been flaking away ever since. Clumsy restoration efforts haven't helped.

However - and I didn't know this - there is a copy of the original using oil and canvas that was made by Leonardo's students as an exercise about the same time that he was painting the fresco. That copy has long been considered the best source for seeing what the original probably looked like when it was brand new. The entire 8 meter long painting has now been curated in a high resolution scan by the Royal Academy of Art. The results are here:

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/explore-the-last-supper/sAKCB2AzvHUmKQ

This is like seeing the Sistine Chapel after they cleaned the frescos; the impact is remarkable. Leonardo was a genius in many ways, but as a painter he was The Bomb.

This is so cool, thank you for the share!

 

[GTRX7]

Very cool. Thanks. I visited The Last Supper when I was studying abroad at Tech about 20 years ago. I was shocked to learn it was just painted on a seemingly random wall in a tiny monastery. I had always imagined it would be framed and behind glass in some famous museum.