The Last Supper

Some works of art are so ingrained in western culture and legend, that they are almost considered as given, rather than actually painted. Among these we find The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, completed in 1498.

The oil painting depicts the last supper of Jesus, in which he declares to his disciples that before the day is out, one of them will betray him. As was common in such depictions, all participants in the supper are seated on the same side of the table, facing the artist. This allows for a much more details description of the individual reactions to the announcement by Jesus.

However, while the more conventional ways of singling out Judas was to have him sit on the other side of the table, or to give all disciples except him haloes, Da Vinci used a more dramatic and effective ploy. He has Judas lean back in the shadow. This single ploy works extremely well in setting him apart in a dramatic way without making it completely obvious.

A true icon of Christian culture, The Last Supper can today be found at the wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, covering the entire back wall.

Girl With Pearl Earring

Dutch master Johannes Vermeer is generally considered among the greatest painters of the Dutch golden age. Paintings like his “View of Delft” and “The Astronomer” are indeed masterful executions of the genre paintings in which Vermeer specialized. However, there was of course one painting by Vermeer that stands above all others as his most famous work – “The Girl with a Pearl Earring”. This work was painted by Vermeer around 1665 and depicts the face and upper body of a young woman as she turns to look at the artist. She is wearing a large pearl earring in her right ear. The painting has on several occasions been referred to as the “Mona Lisa of the North” and that alone should give an indication of the respect and admiration accorded to it.

Such is the influence of “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” that it has inspired novels, movies and operas, and with its slightly unusual yet captivating depiction it continues to inspire today. The angle of the portrait is certainly not the most commonly used for any such depiction, and the slightly ambiguous expression on the face of the girl only serves to heighten the confusion. The original “Girl with a Pearl Earring” can today be found at the Mauritshuis at The Hague in Holland.

Claude Monet Reading by Renoir

Claude Monet was not as prolific painter of self-portraits as some painters like e.g. Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Rembrandt. However, luckily other painters stepped in to contribute to the immortalization of Monet’s likeness. Among these, we find Renoir’s “Claude Monet Reading”.

Painted by Renoir in 1872, it shows Monet reading the newspaper while smoking his pipe. Monet is well dressed in dark jacket and a hat, with a white shirt visible under his jacket. The year of the painting, 1872, is the same year that Monet painted Impression Sunrise but before it was exhibited and before the impressionist movement had really taken shape. The painting was thus made before the true artistic breakthrough of Monet himself, while he was staying in Argenteuil on the outskirts of Paris. Some of Monet’s memorable early works like Argenteuil and Woman with a Parasol was also painted while he stayed there.

The depiction is an uncanny Renoir with all the characteristics of Impressionist painting. We see the fine but visible brush strokes, the focus on color over line, the depiction of light and the strait forward motive.

The excellent depiction in Claude Monet Reading offers a glimpse of Monet the Man in the days before his career really took off. The painting can today be found at the Musee Marmotten in Paris, France.