Last+Supper-+Casey+Zuccarello

=Last Supper=

“The Last Supper”, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, illustrates many Renaissance ideas and views. First, “The Last Supper” was painted by Leonardo da Vinci because a powerful Duke, the Duke of Milan, wanted him to paint it. Since Leonardo was a smart man, he decided to paint it because of the financial gains that would be created from this massive work of art. This is the way that many famous Renaissance paintings and sculptures were created; a powerful, wealthy individual would ask an artist to paint or create for them a piece of art. This was able to be done because during the Renaissance, there was a good deal of money to be spent. Second, “The Last Supper” demonstrates new Renaissance ideas such as perspective. Perspective is the technique of showing distant objects on flat surfaces the way the eye actually sees them. This is a technique that was invented in the Renaissance and used thoroughly by da Vinci. Finally, “The Last Supper” depicts Jesus with his disciples the night before he was to be crucified. “The Last Supper” focused solely on humans which illuminates the theme of humanism. Humanism is an intellectual movement at the heart of the Renaissance that focused on education, human beings, and life on earth. In the painting, Jesus is shown as a regular human being who is sitting around with his followers. In earlier years, Jesus would have been depicted more as a divine being instead of a normal human being. “The Last Supper” is a perfect example of Renaissance art that reveals the ideas and views of the Renaissance.

Esaak, Shelly. "Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper." //About.com-Art History//. The New York Times Company. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

Ellis, Elisabeth G., and Anthony Esler. //World History//. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2009. (1)



=Virgin of the Rocks=

Leonardo Da Vinci's //Virgin of the Rocks// (also called //Madonna of the Rocks//) is a very controversial and interesting piece of art. It was completed in 1508 for the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception. It was commissioned with the idea that there would be two pieces of art on either side of it at the altar in San Francesco. The painting depicts a legendary meeting between Jesus Christ and John the Baptist while they were both still babies. John the Baptist prays to Jesus while the Virgin Mary and an angel look on. The painting uses a technique called "sfumato," which means smokiness. It blurs the line between the people in the painting and the background. The pool, dark rocky background, and "tender gestures" make the painting look more like a dream than a real occurrence. Leonardo Da Vinci used this painting as an example in his argument that painting is superior to sculpture because of the "illusionary spaces and textures." The painting is also very realistic, which is a characteristic of paintings from the Renaissance. Leonardo Da Vinci used shadow and perspective very well in this piece. Overall, //Virgin of the Rocks// is a very famous painting that uses many techniques that made the Renaissance famous.

"Leonardo da Vinci | The Virgin of the Rocks | NG1093 | The National Gallery, London." //Welcome | Home | The National Gallery, London//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. <[]>.

Davies, Penelope J.E., Walter B. Denny, Frima Fox Hofrichter, Joseph F Jacobs, Ann M. Roberts, and David L. Simon. "The High Renaissance in Italy, 1495-1520." //Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition//. 7th ed. Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall, 2006. 558-560. Print.

-Billy Van Cleve  This picture represents many of the new ideas that formed in the renaissance. Many objects in the painting have a meaning beyond just being in the picture. For example the lute (old version of guitar) has a broken string which represents the discord in the renaissance age. Also there is an anamorphic picture of a skull on the bottom middle of the page. On the left you see a man that is noticeably better dressed than the man on right. The man on the left represents the capitalists of the renaissance. The man on the left represents religion and the fact that they are both leaning on the table represents the partnership between religion and capitalism. Some people have tried to interpret who the two men are. No one knows for sure, but they are believed to be Jean de Dinteville, the man on the left and George de Selve, Bishop of Lauvar.

"The Ambassadors (Holbein) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2010. .

"A reading of "the ambassadors"." //Sauk Valley Community College//. N.p., 6 Feb. 1999. Web. 19 Jan. 2010. .

by:Harrison Reid

=Group paragraph=

 //Last Supper//, //Virgin of the Rocks//, and //The Ambassadors// teach us many themes from the Renaissance. First, realism was present in all of these paintings. Throughout each painting, humans were portrayed very realistically and with many details. Another major theme was church and religion. Both //Last Supper// and //Virgin of the Rocks// deal with the life of Jesus. //The Ambassadors// relates to religion because it signifies the partnership of the church and capitalism. So, all of these paintings have religion as a major theme. This shows that although the renaissance was partly about getting away from religion and towards logic, there was still a major focus on religion. Humanism is also a huge focus in each of these paintings. In each painting, humans are the main idea that the painting focuses on. In //Last Supper// and //Virgin of the Rocks//, the paintings are showing Jesus in a human form and focus on relationships between people. //The Ambassadors// also focuses on the relationship between humans, specifically the church and capitalistic businessmen. Overall//, Last Supper, Virgin of the Rocks//, and //The Ambassador// represent a huge shift in the arts during the Renaissance.