The Italian Renaissance painter Domenico Ghirlandaio painted the Last Supper of Jesus three times, in separate fresco paintings in or near Florence. The oldest of the three is located in the Badia di Passignano (1476), next is the most famous one, painted in the refectory of the Convent of the Ognissanti (1480), and the last is at the Convent of San Marco (1486), the last two both in Florence itself.
Locations, Subject, and Technique
Locations
There are three separate frescoes of the Last Supper that Ghirlandaio painted including one outside of Florence, Italy, while the other two were painted in the city of Florence. Two of Ghirlandaio's Last Supper frescoes were placed in convents in Florence: the Convent of San Marco and the Convent of Ognissanti. The Last Supper located outside of town was painted in the abbey of Badia di Passignano, a religious hermitage under the order of Vallombrosians, founded by Saint Giovanni Gualberto in the eleventh century. Over the years, the Passignano monastery was changed into a farmhouse in 1866, but was reconverted to its monastic function in 1986. All three of Ghirlandaio's frescos of the Last Supper were placed in the refectory, or main dining hall, where all of the nuns or monks of the convent or monastery would have eaten their meals.
Subject
In the late fifteenth century, artist Domenico Ghirlandaio painted three frescoes depicting the Last Supper between Jesus and his Apostles. Many artists have painted their own versions of the Christian subject of The Last Supper. The Last Supper is an important biblical story where Jesus and his disciples dine for the final time together before his death by crucifixion. At this supper, Jesus tells his followers, known as the twelve apostles, that his death is soon to come and that one of his disciples has betrayed him. In addition, this is the sacred meal at which Jesus introduces the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Ghirlandaio's interpretations of The Last Supper show expressions from the figures but in a quiet peaceful setting. His figures have character-like expressions and his understanding of common architecture allowed for realistic details throughout his work. The Last Supper shows images of Jesus and the Apostles sitting around a pronent dining table in the shape of a U. Disciples converse and both Judas and John lean toward Jesus, as is tradition. Jesus is shown near the center, with his right hand raised and index and middle fingers together, which is an archetypal gesture of bestowed blessing. There is an illusion that the room within this piece is receding or moving back into the space.
According to author Jean Cadogan, Domenico took on a secondary role during the creation of these three Last Supper frescos but still was considered the leading artist amongst his two brothers,Davide Ghirlandaio and Benedetto Ghirlandaio, who were also painters. For the fresco in the Badia di Passignano, Domenico's brother Davide was more involved. Davide received five payments for his work on the Passignano piece, while Domenico only received two.
Technique
Preserved drawings provide a good understanding of Domenico Ghirlandaio's artistic process. He is thought to be one of the first artists of his time who prepared projects with extreme care, however, the accuracy of this is not known. Ghirlandaio's paintings are frescoes, which is a technique where pigment is dissolved into water before being painted onto wet plaster known as intonaco. The technique was technically demanding, requiring the artist to have accuracy in composition and skillful hands. The color range in frescoes was limited because only certain colors would chemically react with the alkaline of the lime (one of the ingredients of the plaster), including colors such as blacks, reds, yellows, greens, and whites. Some blues, namely those made from azurite or lapis lazauli (ultramarine), could not be painted on the wet fresco, but instead had to be applied in what is known as "a secco" (meaning painted on a dried plaster surface), but this technique was not lasting and often flaked off the wall.