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L'Ultima Cena - The Last Supper

5/7/2014

9 Comments

 
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Photo by Shutterstock
One of the things I loved about living in Italy was the abundance of art and history around every corner. One can walk out of their door and see frescos, sculpture, incredible paintings in your local doctor's office, coffee bar or library. And, yet, here I was living an hour away from one of the most famous, iconic, and controversial works of art in the world and after 3 years I still hadn't seen it. I am talking about Leonardo da Vinci's L'Ultima Cena or The Last Supper.

Over the years I had read and heard from others that it really wasn't worth going to see because it has decayed and been damaged over time. Many forewarned that the tickets are difficult to come by requiring one to commit to a viewing months in advance. So for three years I blew it off.  My friend Ellen was coming for a visit though and she really wanted to see it. Ellen easily booked the tickets. And it wasn't months in advance at all. 

After all the negative feedback, the build up, the Dan Brown novel controversy and the commentary, I forged ahead with very low expectations.

When you arrive at the Santa Maria delle Grazie church, you are ushered into a waiting area. The waiting area is lined with photographs and historical plaques. As you wait you can read about the history of the church including the damage it suffered during a bombing in WWII. Miraculously, the refectory wall with da Vinci's painting was spared.

While waiting, you can also read up on the painting technique used by da Vinci and the restoration of the painting. The painting is painted on the wall but it is not a fresco. A fresco by definition must be painted on wet plaster and allegedly, da Vinci rejected the technique because it required that the artist hurry to finish the work before the plaster dried. Da Vinci began the painting in1495. He finished in 1498 so you can see why this method was a problem for him. Besides, no artist wants to rush. Particularly, a masterpiece. 

Instead da Vinci invented a new technique using tempera paints on stone. He began by first painting the entire wall with a primer that he hoped would protect the tempera from the moisture and natural absorption of the bricks upon which he was painting. Unfortunately, his method failed and the paint began to degrade within the first few decades. Add the bombings of WWII and the painting was on its way to being lost forever. In 1980, however, a restoration project began which restored the painting to its original glory. 

Da Vinci also came up with his own way to of depicting the scene with the appropriate dimension. He placed a nail in the temple of Jesus, tied a string to it and moved it about the painting as he worked. The string guided him around the scene and allowed him to make marks and assess the spatial perspective as he worked. Pretty ingenious. 


While waiting in the hallway one is free to move about as you please. Once you are let in to see the actual painting, however, your movement is more limited. Given the degradation from changes in temperature and humidity over the years, the painting is now quite securely air locked away in a controlled environment. Groups of about 25 - 30 are let in to see the painting according to a designated time slot. When your time slot is up, the usher calls your time and an air lock door "shwoooshes" open. 
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Your group is taken into a second waiting area, a hallway with close up prints of the painting and views of the lovely gardens of the church. As you are looking around, "shwooosh" the door locks behind you and you realize that you are in a sealed hallway.  As you wait, you can see the group with the time slot ahead of you waiting in a third anteroom, also sealed with air lock doors. It all feels very futuristic and important. Guests are quiet. Anticipating. We waited in the air locked hallway for about 7 or 8 minutes. You know how an elevator can seem awkward at times? Imagine that, only with a lot more people.

The door for the group ahead opens to the refectory where the painting is and you watch the group ahead of you enter. You are not allowed to leave the hallway until the entire group ahead of you is inside the refectory and the doors are sealed shut behind them. Then, your door opens and everyone must enter the third waiting area. And once again, "shwoosh" you are sealed in. Thank goodness it is all glass or this claustrophobic may have had a problem.

By the time you actually enter the refectory, the anticipation has built up and one is ready to see the painting. The paint is delicate and in order to preserve the painting while also accommodating the vast number of visitors to see it, time is limited to 15 minutes of viewing per group. No photographs are allowed inside the refectory.

All the "shwooshing" of air, the waiting rooms and the secure doors built up my anticipation, but I was utterly unprepared for how moved I would be by this painting. It is much larger than I had imagined and it is really a beautiful piece of art.  But, more than that, I was taken aback at what it represented. The history, the millions of followers, the controversy about whether Young John is really Mary Magdalene - it all just kind of overwhelmed me.  I was so moved by it that I dragged my husband and kids back to see it a couple of months later.

If you are planning a trip to Italy and are going through Milano, The Last Supper is worth a visit. No matter your religious beliefs or feelings about the controversy, it is simply a magnificent work of art.
9 Comments
Urska link
2/15/2018 07:03:34 am

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm planning to see the Last Supper for ages, but I'm not that lucky as were you. Every time I plan a trip to Milano, the tickets are no longer available. Hopefully, the I'll nave more luck on my next trip. Fingers crossed. :) #FarawayFiles

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Shelley link
2/15/2018 05:07:21 pm

Oh I hope it works out for you. If you are unable to book tickets in advance go by the church and see if there are any spare tickets. Maybe some no shows? Italians are quite flexible. I am crossing my fingers for you.

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Corey | fifi + hop link
2/16/2018 06:31:34 pm

I can imagine it was an overwhelming experience. I have not seen it myself, but the significance it holds, and the anticipation of it all, I'm sure was unforgettable. Nice you got to see it twice! #farawayfiles

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Shelley Jarvis link
2/20/2018 12:01:17 pm

I was surprised at my reaction. It was really beautiful.

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Jonny link
2/19/2018 12:43:43 pm

Very well-written and informative - I really enjoyed this! (And, I am ashamed to admit, I actually did not know that the Last Supper was in Milan...)

Without meaning to sound grumpy, I usually hate the crowds (and related management) at these "mega" tourist attractions. But from reading your article I get the sense that the pre-booked time slot and anticipation actually heightened the overall experience; sort of a confirmatory nod that what you were seeing was really something very special. Am I right?

Greetings from Luxembourg for #FarawayFiles

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Shelley Jarvis link
2/20/2018 12:05:05 pm

Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it.

I too hate the super touristy crowds too. They have this particular process down pat though. Of course, it was off season too both times that I went.

Definitely worth it if you are in Milano.

Thanks again. #farawayfiles

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Erin Gustafson | Oregon Girl Around the World link
2/20/2018 05:01:19 am

I studied Italian Renaissance art in college and would ADORE to see the Last Supper. And I actually like the that the experience is so controlled, something the Vatican Museum might do a bit better at. Having to book tickets for a smaller group and a specified amount of time would make the Sistine Chapel a far more enjoyable experience instead of feeling herded like cattle and shouted at to be quiet. Thanks for sharing your awe with #FarawayFiles.

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Shelley Jarvis link
2/20/2018 12:07:46 pm

Really??? Remind me to tell you about my daughter in Florence at age 11. Totally agree about The Vatican. Crowds that size freak me out. #farawayfiles.

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Shelley Jarvis link
2/20/2018 12:09:16 pm

Erin - forgot, can you believe they cut out part of the painting to make a damn door!!

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    Shelley Jarvis

    American mother of two who left the comfort and ease of life in the Northern California suburbs for an international experience

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