Showing posts with label Last Supper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Last Supper. Show all posts

Saturday 24 August 2013

SAINT BARTHOLOMEW Apostle Feast - a best Blogspot

Saturday, 24 August 2013
SAINT BARTHOLOMEW
Apostle
Feast
This morning I asked for the best blog of Bartolomew, "Bartholomew colour in the Leonardo Last Supper, the best Blogspot Saturday, 24 August 2013".
In our the Leonardo Tapestry, Batrolomew is BLUE.
And to joy, the first Blogspot to come up, Bella Maria Mom . .: Catholic Art Saturday/The Last Supper.
And many thanks to her.

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Catholic Art Saturday/The Last Supper

“The Last Supper” is a 15th century mural painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci began work on The Last Supper in 1495 and completed it in 1498.
Copied from Catholic Icing: "This painting is supposed to be the instant that Jesus says to the disciples "Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me" (Matthew 26:21). Ask your children what they think of the apostle's reactions. Then go over these things:
The apostles are all reacting, but Christ is the calm in the midst of the storm.
There are many symbols of the trinity in the painting- 3 windows behind Jesus, Jesus' arms make him the shape of a triangle, and the apostles are all seated in groups of 3.
In the first group of 3, the apostles all seem surprised- Andrew to the point that his hands are in a "stop" gesture. Bartholomew has stood up so quickly his legs are still crossed.
Peter is holding a knife, foreshadowing his upcoming violence at the garden of Gethsemane.
Judas is holding a bag- symbolizing the bag of silver he will betray Jesus for. His face is utter shock at Jesus' knowledge of his plan.
John seems to be "swooning". The most asked picture about this painting is "Why does John look that way?"
Doubting Thomas, with his finger in the air, indeed looks doubtful!
James the greater seems stunned with his arms in the air, while Philip seems to request an explanation.
Matthew and Jude both look to Simon for an explanation, while he seems unable to provide one."
 
The Last Supper was originally created for Da Vinci’s patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este. The Last Supper can be found at the wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, where it covers the entire back wall. Right below Jesus' feet is the doorway to another room.
Read more details here.
Our Sacristy Tapestry of Leonardo's  Last Supper

Thursday 4 July 2013

Thomas pointing finger upwards in the Jesus Last Supper (Leonardo)

Feast of Saint Thomas - Wednesday 3rd July
Interesting news regarding the Leonardo mural

MAIL ONLINE
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189604/The-Last-Supper-Fascinating-new-theory-suggests-Leonardo-da-Vinci-used-face-TWO-apostles.html  
Thomas is also pointing his finger upwards in the 500-year-old mural, a gesture which Leonardo's contemporaries viewed as a da Vinci trademark

Did da Vinci paint himself into The Last Supper? Fascinating new theory suggests Leonardo used his own face for TWO of the apostles

  • Art expert believes Thomas and James the Lesser are self-portraits of Renaissance genius

He is the man behind some of the most famous portrait paintings in history.
Yet, ironically, art experts still have relatively little idea what Leonardo da Vinci himself looked like.
Because the Renaissance genius left no self-portraits from his youth, academics have been forced to explore their suspicions that he may have placed his image into one of his own masterpieces.
Code cracked? Art historian Dr Ross King has presented new evidence which he believes shows that Leonardo da Vinci used his own face for two apostles, Thomas and James the Lesser, in his painting of the Last Supper
Code cracked? Art historian Dr Ross King has presented new evidence which he believes shows that Leonardo da Vinci used his own face for two apostles, Thomas and James the Lesser, in his painting of the Last Supper
James the Lesser could be a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci
Thomas has an upturned finger which many of Leonardo's contemporaries considered a da Vinci trademark
Staring them in the face? Dr King references a portrait believed to be of da Vinci in his later years showing him with a Greek nose and flowing hair, much like the two apostles. Thomas is also pointing his finger upwards in the 500-year-old mural, a gesture which Leonardo's contemporaries viewed as a da Vinci trademark
Now one art historian believes he has uncovered new evidence that the great man inserted himself not once, but twice, into his famous mural, The Last Supper.
Ross King, the author of the international best-seller Brunelleschi's Dome, makes reference to a poem written in the 1490s, while Leonardo was painting The Last Supper, by his friend Gasparo Visconti.
 

More...


In it, Visconti makes fun of an unnamed artist for putting his image into his works 'however handsome it may be'.
Dr King also cites the famous portrait of a man in red chalk, sketched around 1515, which is thought to show Leonardo in his advancing years.
He has a Greek nose, flowing hair and a long beard, much like the faces of the apostles Thomas and James the Lesser in the 500-year-old Last Supper.
The portrait of a man in red chalk is believed to depict Leonardo da Vinci
The Mona Lisa
Clues: According to Dr King, the portrait of a man in red chalk (left), believed to depict da Vinci around 1515, has similar features to those shown in the two apostles. Some art experts also believe the Mona Lisa (right) may be a self-portrait
Steeped in history: The Last Supper was painted on an end wall in the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, for Leonardo's patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este
Steeped in history: The Last Supper was painted on an end wall in the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, for Leonardo's patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este
Thomas's upturned finger was also considered by contemporaries as a trademark Leonardo gesture.
Dr King told the Independent: 'The Last Supper is the only work that no one, either crackpot or academic, has tried to identify as a Leonardo portrait.'
Renowned Leonardo scholar Charles Nicholl said: 'Of all the apostles that (Leonardo) would wish to be identified with, I think Doubting Thomas would be top of his list because Leonardo was a great believer in asking questions rather than accepting what people tell you.'
The Last Supper was painted on an end wall in the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, for Leonardo's patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este.
It has faded substantially over time, but underwent a 21-year restoration from the 1970s which sparked considerable controversy because of the subsequent changes in tones and colours.
Finding images of Leonardo in his paintings has become a popular pastime with academics, with some even suggesting that the Mona Lisa is in fact a self-portrait in disguise.
Bloomsbury Publishing will publish Dr King's latest research in Leonardo And The Last Supper on August 30. It will also feature as BBC 4's Book of the Week at the same time.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189604/The-Last-Supper-Fascinating-new-theory-suggests-Leonardo-da-Vinci-used-face-TWO-apostles.html#ixzz2Y6gwC81F
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Monday 1 July 2013

COMMENT: Last Supper (Leonardo) Judas - Footnotes


Giampietrino-Last-Supper-ca-1520

The Significance of Various Elements in the Composition of the Painting
Note on Judas.
Michael Ladwein
Leonardo da Vinci – The Last Super
The language and.meaning of gestures ..........
... the ever-long forefinger of Thomas, pointing upwards very striking and energetically, might also be interpreted as indicating that the doubts he experienced regarding Christ's Resurrection could only be overcome by actually touching his wounds John 20,27). This in turn meant that in medieval theology Thomas became the actual witness of the Resurrection, so that his heavenward-pointing finger came to symbolize Christ's Ascension." Peter's right hand, propped on his hip (behind Judas' back) is holding a knife which at first sight can be regarded as a perfectly legitimate item of cutlery. But apart from the fact that it is the only knife in the whole picture, its size and shape also make it appear more like a weapon. Thus it points to the happening a few hours hence when Peter, militantly ready to defend Christ, will cut off the ear of Malchus (while here the ear of .John is willingly turned towards him and that of Judas involuntarily hears his urgent enquiry as to the name of the traitor). Thus the knife becomes in a sense an attribute of Peter.

Apart from Peter, only Judas is holding in his right hand an object open to ambivalent interpretation: the purse full of money (Fig.53).

Judas, Peter, John, 1999 restored
Initially it can be seen as the common purse (John 12,6) which he administers, but we immediately and above all associate it with his traitor's reward of thirty pieces of silver. Moreover, as he recoils vehemently in surprise, he appears inadvertently to upset a salt-cellar. This is a most realistic touch," (15*) for he is symbolically rejecting Christ's promise that he too, like the others, shall be 'the salt of the earth', thus cancelling his links with Christ." (16*)


14 Bernard of Clairvaux, De laudibus Virginis matris, quoted after Steinberg: 'Thomas, at first doubting the truth but then verifying it by touch, thus became the surest witness of the Resurrection.'

15 This is no longer discernible in the original painting but can be seen in copies and engravings (see p.87.) In a passage that evidently refers to Judas, Leonardo's notes reveal that he originally considered showing him overturning a glass of wine. Perhaps finding this idea too obvious, he rejected it in favour of the salt-cellar. Right beside his elbow, as though pushed aside by him, there is a piece of bread. According to Steinberg this could also be interpreted as a rejection of the Eucharist and thus point to antagonism towards Christ.

16 Matthew 5,13; Mark 9,50; Luke 14,34-35; see also R. Steiner From Jesus to Christ; lecture of 12 October 1911, and Cosmic and Human Metamorphoses, lecture of 20 March 1917.

17 F. Rittelmeyer, p.72.



Saturday 29 June 2013

Never too 'hyper interpretation' St. Peter in the Last Supper


Thank you, William, for the on going Links of Leonardo's Last Supper.   
Next right to Christ, John, Peter and Judas
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald ....
To: William J ....
Sent: Thursday, 27 June 2013, 16:38
Subject: Fw: Two special feasts misfired

Dear William,
Completely mistaken about Sermon expected.
I was loving to search Leonardo focused on Peter, not St. Paul.
I was supposed to deliver the eve of Sts. Peter and Paul Sermon in the Chapter.

Totally mystified, and I learned that my turn is for the Sermon of St. Benedict on July 11th.
St. Benedict is very different oyster to be cracked.

The Guest House 'Our Lady of Perpetual Help' picture has the emblems of the Passion held by Angels - in a Blogspot too.....

A breather until July 11th.

In Dno.
Donald
P.S. 'hyper interpretation. Rudolf Steiner.  
 
  1. Leonardo Da Vinci, the Last Supper: A Cosmic Drama And an Act of ... - Page 86 - Google Books Result

    books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=1902636759
    Michael Ladwein - 2006 - Art
    ... be a good deal of poor observation coupled with 'hyper-interpretation'.7 A prime ...Supper to the ground-plan of the first Goetheanum and to Rudolf Steiner's ...
+ + + 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William  ...
To: Donald....
Sent: Thursday, 27 June 2013, 15:08
Subject: Two special feasts

Dear Father Donald,
 
I thought I might share your browsing for your homily on the feast of St Peter and St Paul! Avenues to explore and delight!
 
It is a brilliant angle - a homily around a painting - on St Peter, through the Leonardo Last Supper.
This is a link I shared with you, with narrative http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html
 
I have tried to find a painting expressive of St Paul's life to compliment that of St Peter http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/rembrandt/st-paul-in-prison-1627#supersized-artistPaintings-220532 but can find no narrative.
 
But then of course you have Sr Wendy's book! and are far more intuitive than I on the internet search engines!
 
I love today's feast of Our Lady - I have a metal plaque which hangs above my desk (attached). I remember a very fine large print in the lounge in the Guest House - the sandal that falls from the Child Jesus as He sees the emblem of the cross carried by an angel. The DGO have a nice piece: http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=saintfeast&localdate=20130627&id=135&fd=1
 
Your 'racing moon' has become huge these last few nights/dawns, quite entrancing me. The weather-man spoke of the present tight orbit of the earth causing it to appear 30% larger. The universe is one vast source of wonder! 100% wiser than mankind!
 
With my love in Our Lord,
William
+ + + 

Sacristy - Tapestry of Leonardo Last Supper

Donald draft of:
Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul 29 June 2013
The Peter and Paul Solemnity seems to have a great flourish by the Liturgy, the Church, the Vatican, the faithful teaching, a flourish of partiality.
In fact the key theme is better from Augustine, “One day for the passion of two Apostles ... they were as one”.
And in this community-sermon we highlight, not the special preference of Peter and Paul, but look for the preferential love of the brethren, the communion of our community life.
This week we had the celebration of the Birth of St. John of the Baptist and I was remembered by the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci;
The Virgin of the Rocks The Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist and an Angel, and Leonardo’s Charcoal Cartoon for the Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the Infant St. John the Baptist.
Why are these paintings of Leonardo the greatest expressions of communion and presence?
It takes the historians of paintings to articulate relationships and and mystery in the living frame..
The amazing Nations Gallery in London, Leonardo’s Charcoal Cartoon – the depth of Mary and St. Anne in the exchange and the mystery of Redemption of the children, the Child Jesus and the Infant of John the Baptist.

Leonardo’s story of ‘the Last Supper’ surpasses the TV directors today.. Against a distant background the action of the Last Super in an extreme drama..
‘The Last Super’ is the same painting subject on the wall of our reading room, donated by the Knights of Templar, and the same picture, as the tapestry in the Sacristy, shows surprising accuracy in details. The tapestry was donated ‘in remembrance  of Suzanne Mary Braniff, died 9-12-1986, age 15years.
.
Narrowed down to our interest is the role of St. Peter in the ‘Last Supper ‘ painting of Leonardo.
There were twelve apostles at Christ’s last supper. St. Paul not in sight.

In our Liturgy, the duo “Peter and Paul” is flattered or flattened in contrast to the drama of the twelve Apostles.
Peter is not singled out by Leonardo. Peter, himself, is one nub of a radar web net of the twelve zeroed to the heart of Christ.
The camera zooms on to Peter, in his right hand he has a knife behind Judas, James the Elder reaches to touch Peter, so that Peter is to nudge John, who in turn John asks Jesus ‘who betrayed him’. The six on stage, right of Christ are performing the ‘act’ in concert.
The more overt ‘acting’ is the language of the express by arms and hands, illustrated by view .
...........

The Significance of Various Elements in the Composition of the Painting
Note on Peter.
Michael Ladwein
Leonardo da Vinci – The Last Super
The language and.meaning of gestures

... the ever-long forefinger of Thomas, pointing upwards very striking and energetically, might also be interpreted as indicating that the doubts he experienced regarding Christ's Resurrection could only be overcome by actually touching his wounds John 20,27). This in turn meant that in medieval theology Thomas became the actual witness of the Resurrection, so that his heavenward-pointing finger came to symbolize Christ's Ascension." Peter's right hand, propped on his hip (behind Judas' back) is holding a knife which at first sight can be regarded as a perfectly legitimate item of cutlery. But apart from the fact that it is the only knife in the whole picture, its size and shape also make it appear more like a weapon. Thus it points to the happening a few hours hence when Peter, militantly ready to defend Christ, will cut off the ear of Malchus (while here the ear of .John is willingly turned towards him and that of Judas involuntarily hears his urgent enquiry as to the name of the traitor). Thus the knife becomes in a sense an attribute of Peter.

Apart from Peter, only Judas is holding in his right hand an object open to ambivalent interpretation: the purse full of money (Fig.53).
Judas, Peter, John, 1999 restored
  Initially it can be seen as the common purse (John 12,6) which he administers, but we immediately and above all associate it with his traitor's reward of thirty pieces of silver. Moreover, as he recoils vehemently in surprise, he appears inadvertently to upset a salt-cellar. This is a most realistic touch," for he is symbolically rejecting Christ's promise that he too, like the others, shall be 'the salt of the earth', thus cancelling his links with Christ."

The mystery of the centre:
Judas and John
The relationship between Christ and Judas and the drama played out between them is the picture's centre of tension. They are the only two who are aware of the dark and pressing secret: the betrayal. The contrast between these two protagonists is vividly portrayed in the play of their hands. On the right, Christ's outstretched left arm ending in the 'giving' hand (which will soon be pierced by a nail) hovers freely and lightly in the air. On the left Judas' bent right arm ending in the fist clutching the full purse rests heavily on the table. (Or is Judas clinging to it to keep himself steady?) While the principle of polarity is most clearly expressed in these gestures, the 'drama of the hands' culminates in the tension-filled approach to one another of Christ's right and Judas' left hand with gestures that are so much alike.
Exactly between these two taut and active hands rest those of John, folded and interlinked - a counterpoint to all the other hands in the picture except for a degree of inner similarity with Christ's 'passive' left hand. In direct contrast to James the Great, his opposite number on the other side, whose hands are furthest apart, those of John together with the close-held arms (the only ones in this position) give incomparable expression to his inner withdrawal from all external happenings, the 'ocean stillness' of his soul. Of these hands it has been said quite rightly: 'With such a pair of folded hands Leonardo has achieved what other artists could portray only by painting the whole man John asleep.' (Monstadt)

A similarly subtle gradation can be observed in the faces, beginning with John - who apart horn Christ is the only figure portrayed frontally - via the pure profile of Peter and on to the profit perdu of Judas whose glance is directed slightly towards the rear of the picture. Peter's place between John and Judas gives expression to his spiritual position as well." It is upon him, the rock, that Christ intends to build his church, yet during this very night, on the other hand, he will also deny, though not betray, his Lord. 
 * * *

       BBC Art History

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Friday 28 June 2013

Henri Nouwen and Rembrandt Cosmic Drama

COMMENT: 

--- Forwarded Message -----
From: William W...
To: Donald...
Sent: Wednesday, 12 June 2013, 18:49
Subject: [Blog] 
Henri Nouwen and Rembrandt

Dear Father Donald,
Such finely perceptive meditations - with such skill to express them - delight me in Henri Nouwen's writings that you record on your Blog: these I have captured for myself, together with images of Rembrandt's affective drawings of Leonardo's great work, The Last Supper (tempting me to make however poor a sketch myself...)
I hardly begin to know how to filter and then to express the thoughts and feelings that drift through my mind as I rest before the Eucharist at early Vigils: I have noted down those few highlights (below) which will give me moorings to hold onto against the constant tide of the movement of my mind. This Henri Nouwen book you have discovered, and Sr Wendy Beckett's also, place such thoughts as these before us in both words and reflective images as we contemplate the wonder of it all!
Thank you for sharing your delight... that indeed 'our joy may be complete'.
Truly a great joy!
With my love in Our Lord,
William
PS. My fabulous screen saver bathes my room in light (your photo on the Blog of the South Cloister, of the 'Sunset - silhouettes, reflections, mirrors, shadows.' P1014796 South Cloister sunset Silhouette.jpg')
Extracts from 'Jesus, A Gospel' by Henri Nouwen
The Eucharist is the most ordinary and the most divine gesture imaginable. That is the truth of Jesus. So human, yet so divine; so familiar, yet so mysterious; so close, yet so revealing!
We all know of this desire to give ourselves at the table. We say: "Eat and drink; I made this for you. Take more; it is there for you to enjoy, to be strengthened, yes, to feel how much I love you." What we desire is not simply to give food, but to give ourselves. "Be my guest," we say.
This moment when Jesus is handed over to those who do with him as they please is a turning point in Jesus' min­istry. It is turning from action to passion...
It is important for me to realize that Jesus fulfills his mission not by what he does, but by what is done to him. Just as with everyone else, most of my life is determined by what is done to me and thus is passion... 
[Note: contrast the old adage, to be ‘active or passive’… which latter suggests a state of resignation, but here ‘passion’… negation itself, the sacrifice of disinterested love]
 "Those who love me," Jesus says, "will be loved by my Father" (John 14:21).  My true spiritual work is to let myself be loved, fully and completely, and to trust that in that love I will come to the fulfillment of my vocation.
I continue to see in myself and others how often we try to make unity among ourselves by focusing all our attention on each other and trying to find the place where we can feel united. When we direct our inner attention not first of all to each other, but to God to whom we belong, then we will discover that in God we also belong to each other.

Last Supper. Name the Apostles
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald Nunraw <nunrawdonald@yahoo.com>
To: William J Wardle <williamwardle2bp@btinternet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 12 June 2013, 21:43
Subject: Fw: [Blog] Henri Nouwen and Rembrandt Cosmic Drama

Hi, William,
This book arrived from Amazon.
You cannot surprise that I must be suffering with read-salivating.
At the moment, very happy with your selections from Henri Nouwen.

At the evening Chapter, we enjoyed the report by the monks returned from Iona.
D.G.
Donald
             

Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper: A Cosmic Drama and an Act of Redemption Michael Ladwein 


Book Description

Publication Date: 13 Mar 2006 | ISBN-10: 1902636759 | ISBN-13: 978-1902636757
Numerous great works have been created within the realm of Christian art, but none has received as much acclaim as Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper". Art lovers venerate it for its composition and noble aesthetics, while for Christians it epitomises the intimate relationship between Christ and his disciples. In recent years it has also become the focus of intrigue, controversy and speculation, following the publication of some bestselling fictional narratives and questionable historical studies. Given the recent restoration that has exposed remnants of the original paint-work and removed falsifications created by over-painting, we are now able to contemplate Da Vinci's masterpiece in its original form for the first time since its creation over 500 years ago. In this lavishly-illustrated, full-colour book - which reproduces many details of the restored work - Michael Ladwein turns his attention to newly-revealed aspects that allow for fresh interpretations. The philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, called "The Last Supper" the world's most important work of art, adding that it revealed 'the meaning of earth existence'. Ladwein throws light on many aspects of the spiritual message that can be discovered in this immortal painting - one that has lost nothing of its urgency in our modern world.

About the Author

MICHAEL LADWEIN is an art historian and expert on religions who now conducts art study tours. He is also an author and translator. His published works include Chartres, Ein Fuhrer durch die Kathedrale (Chartres, A guided tour of the cathedral) and Raphaels Sixtinische Madonna (Raphael's Sistine Madonna). For more information see: www.ladwein-reisen.de.  
Leonardo Study of figures Venice  Academy