Da Vinci, Last Supper, Mona Lisa

Da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, and studied the laws of science. He is famous for his sketches and drawing depicting the human form and fantastical devices such as flying machines that were revolutionary at the time. He was also a master painter, and his work spanned from portraits to religious works. As an apprentice for another artist, he learned a wide range of skills that would later be applied to his different works (Biography, 2015).

As a polymath, da Vinci was able to execute a wide range of subjects and his art took many different forms. This paper will look at three of his most famous works, The Mona Lisa, Ultima Cena and Lady with an Ermine, outlining how each of these works came about and what their significance is. Probably his most famous work is the Mona Lisa. This painting is on display at the Louvre in Paris, and it is a portrait of Lisa Gheradini, who was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

Artists during this period often made their living painting portraits for the wealthy and powerful on a commission basis, and this is how the Mona Lisa came about as well. On the surface, the painting is a fairly typical portrait, and there is nothing exceptional about the woman, her clothing or her place. The structure of the painting was original at the time, and in that respect was appreciated by artists in terms of things like its realistic scale.

The smile is considered to be one of the most important components of the work, as the notion of happiness is viewed as being important. Also of note is the way that the background space blends into wilderness in the background. All of these elements were considered to be different at the time, and revolutionary (Scaillierez, 2015). Another of Da Vinci's famous works is the Last Supper, which is a depiction of the last supper.

If artists were not painting portraits for money, they were working on commission from the church, and da Vinci was no exception. The Last Supper is a common theme in Christian art and so it was not unusual that he would be commissioned to paint this scene for a church in Milan, the Santa Maria della Grazie. The work was commissioned by da Vinci's patron at the time. The painting is rich with symbolism, as this is a strong motif in the Christian religion.

The setting is the moment at which Jesus announces that one of his disciples has betrayed him. Thus, each apostle is shown with a specific response to this news. Scholars note that Judas has a different expression from the others, an allusion to him being the betrayer. Of particular interest in this painting is that the medium, oil, is a less permanent medium than other available options.

This choice by da Vinci means that the Last Supper today is in terrible condition, but by deliberate choice of the artist that the work would ultimately be impermanent. The decision for using this medium is not known, and there has been some restoration over the years with respect to this painting so it is not known how much of the current painting is actually da Vinci's work (No author, 2015). Lady with an Ermine is actually an earlier work than the other two. This again was a commissioned portrait.

The lady in question was Cecilia Gallerani, who was a mistress of the Duke of Milan, who was da Vinci's employer at the time. The painting was done in oil, which was relatively new to Italy at the time, showing that da Vinci was an innovator. Of interest is the recent revelation that the original painting was done without the ermine, and that the current version with the animal is basically an edit or a second version of the painting, painted over the original (Bloom, 2014).

The ermine was a symbol of purity, something that may have been requested by the Duke, or the lady, because she was a mistress and not from a noble family. The ermine may have therefore been added to make her more pure in the painting. Da Vinci was, like many artists.