The image typically brought to mind when one speaks of the Last

Supper is that of Leonardo Da Vinci. Here, I use Albrecht Durers The Last
Supper, (Dewitte, Larmann and Shields, 388) which is in many ways similar
to the Leonardo work, as a comparison piece to the vastly different Tintoretto
Last Supper (Dewitte, Larmann and Shields, 390).

The Leonardo Last Supper captures the moment at which Christ

reveals his betrayer. Images which followed, such as the woodcut by Durer
and the painting by Tintoretto capture a markedly different moment at the
supper. While Durer places the moment of the painting after the revelation of
betrayal, signified by the absence of the twelfth disciple, and an empty plate
upon the ground, Tintoretto memorializes the festive heart of the meal,
before the gravity of betrayal is mentioned, portraying not only the disciples
but also the many servants and spiritual beings who were likely in
attendance at such an occasion.
Working during the Reformation, Albrecht Durer, though Catholic,
seemed to possess many Protestant sympathies. These sympathies may in
fact be found in his version of the Last Supper. According to Craig Harbison,
an American art historian, there are three main differences which point to his
Protestant considerations and Lutheran sympathies. The first is presence of
both bread and a wine chalice. This expression of utraquism, or dogma that
maintained that both the bread and the wine should be taken during the
Eucharist was not Catholic in nature, as only the priests were allowed to
partake of the wine. The second, the empty plate upon the ground, signifies
the absence of the lamb, which was traditionally used in portrayals of the
last supper, bringing focus not on the sacrificed Christ, but upon the living, or
resurrected Christ. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, with the absence of
Judas, the moment which Durer has captured is the moment in which Christ
tells his disciples
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another (John 13: 34-35).

It is through these three focuses that Durer betrays his Lutheran and
Protestant leanings (Harbison, 368).

The woodcut itself displays remarkable symmetry and human

proportion. The balance of the whole seems to tip toward the right upon a
first viewing, given the position of the window, hand of Jesus pointing left,
and the five disciples on his left. Upon further scrutiny however, one can
sense the mass of the five men huddle on his right, and the spiritual weight
of Jesus right foot bearing down upon the left side of the cut. The
composition itself, much like Da Vincis Last Supper, places Christ as the
central figure of the cut. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, lays his head
near to Christ on the table. Durers use of linear perspective only differs
slightly from Da Vincis one-point perspective, in that a horizon line is not
visible. This head-on approach both associates Durers Last Supper with
that of Da Vincis, and differentiates it.

Tintoretto, on the other hand, takes a vastly different approach to the

Last Supper. His painting uses differing perspective, symmetry, motif, and
focus. His central character is not that of the Christ, although Christ is the
most obvious character in the painting, but rather it is that of the extraneous
characters who were not even mentioned in the Bible.

Tintorettos Last Supper exemplifies the Mannerist style of art which

was popular during the Renaissance, until the Baroque Period. Mannerism
explored harmonious ideals and
Emphasized complexity and virtuosity over naturalistic representation. While
the formal vocabulary of Mannerism takes much from the later works of
Michelangelo (14751564) and Raphael (14831520), its adherents generally
favored compositional tension and instability rather than the balance and
clarity of earlier Renaissance painting. Some characteristics common to many
Mannerist works include distortion of the human figure, a flattening of
pictorial space, and a cultivated intellectual sophistication
(Metmuseum.org).

Adding to this flattening of pictorial space is Tintorettos skewed

perspective, redefining Da Vincis one-point perspective as a nearly isometric
viewpoint, or perhaps trimetric.

The light sources also differ greatly here in Tintorettos work, from both
Da Vincis and Durers, in that light, the only light, produced is that from
Christ and the lamp. Christ produces here the majority of the light in the
work, and the lamp illuminates not only a dark corner of the room, but also
the angels in attendance at this grand occasion. Adding to the light of the
work are the small halos surrounding the heads of the disciples. Through
them we are able to pinpoint Judas, both lacking a halo and sitting on the
opposite side of the table from Christ. This light then returns the work to the
spiritual and because of this allusion and light, the spiritual permeates the
entirety of the work.

Tintoretto wished to combine Michelangelo's disegno with Titian's

colore, but in the end it was the quality of prestezza, or quickness, in his
work that was most admired by contemporaries who were receptive to his
unique style (Metmuseum.org). Disegno is

The principle/method which underlies sculpture, as well as fine art

painting and architecture. Above all, disegno constitutes the
intellectual component of the visual arts, which justifies their elevation
from craft to fine art, on a par with literature and music (visual-arts-
cork.com).
Titan is referred here in regard to his used of color, primarily die to his use of
vivid, luminous tints. Although he wished to exemplify the work of his
predecessors, Tintoretto ultimately became known for his prestezza, creating
impressions of faces and objects due to particular brushstrokes.

These works tell the same story, though perhaps not at the exact
moment in time. And though the story is the same, the outcome, feel, and
impact produced by them vary greatly. Both were master of their craft, and
both were storytellers of the highest caliber, yet the story does not remain
the same. This is the nature of art; it is a story filtered through the soul of the
artist, and each story, though perhaps the same, will impact us differently
depending upon who tells it.

References

Dewitte, Debra J, Ralph Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields. Gateways To Art. New York: Thames
& Hudson, 2012. Print.

Gaine, Hugh. The Holy Bible, Containing The Old And New Testaments. New-York: Printed and
sold by Hugh Gaine, at his Book-store and printing-office, at the Bible, in Hanover-Square,
1792. Print.

Harbison, Craig. 'Durer And The Reformation: The Problem Of The Re-Dating Of The St. Philip
Engraving'. The Art Bulletin 58.3 (1976): 368. Web.

Metmuseum.org,. 'Mannerism: Bronzino (15031572) And His Contemporaries | Thematic

Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline Of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum Of Art'. N.p., 2015. Web.
29 Mar. 2015.

Metmuseum.org,. 'Sixteenth-Century Painting In Venice And The Veneto | Thematic Essay |

Heilbrunn Timeline Of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum Of Art'. N.p., 2015. Web. 29
Mar. 2015.