Il Tintoretto 1518 – 1594

The Last Supper

oil on canvas (365 × 568 cm) — 1592-94 Museum San Giorgo Maggiore, Venice

Il Tintoretto biography

This work is linked to John 13:21

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Tintoretto's studio was authorized to produce several large canvasses for the newly finished San Giorgo Maggiore church in Venice. The old master would have left most of the work in the hands of his assistants, but it is certain that he made three of the canvasses himself. This Last Supper is one of them.

Tintoretto created a special atmosphere by using two light sources, darker colors and transparent, hovering angels. The angels add a supernatural touch to the painting.

All disciples have a halo, except Jude – he's kneeling at the far side of the table.

The lines of the table, the pattern on the floor and the wood in the ceiling create a linear perspective. That makes the painting stand in the tradition of Da Vinci's Last Supper.

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