Da Vinci, The Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of the last supper is a tragedy, only due to the fact that it’s original splendor is lost. Because da Vinci just had to experiment with his material, a layer of the paint wore away and chipped off within a few decades, so we cannot view the piece of artwork the way it was truly meant to be seen. There is a lot of movement in the image, so there is a real sense of life to it. Mouths are open so people are talking. There’s also a sense of depth, it is very three dimensional; you can even see a mountainscape through the windows in the background.

Duccio, Last Supper

Unlike da Vinci’s depiction of the last summer, Duccio’s has a very limited sense of depth, so it is much more two dimensional. Christ is still the center and focus of the image and all other figures are focused on him, unlike da Vinci’s painting. The colors are also much brighter, so there is a less solemn tone to the piece. The revert back to the earlier halo theme is also seen in this piece, so the influence goes further back than the renaissance, again, unlike da Vinci’s depiction.