Humanism and the Renaissance There

Humanism and the Renaissance There are many great works from the Renaissance, and Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper is certainly considered among the greatest of that era. The Last Supper has strong religious themes and tones to be sure, but there is also the element of humanism in the Last Supper. Indeed one of the most powerful themes to emerge from the Renaissance is humanism.

In Leonardo's painting he eschewed having halos over the heads of everyone but Judas; he also had Judas seated on the same side of the table as Christ. Since Leonardo decided to make this painting more humanistic than strictly religious, he has painted them all "…equally human rather than saintly and holy," which reflects Leonardo's "…humanistic and artistic beliefs" (About.com). Leonardo's deliberate use of humanism is, according to the About.com material, a rebuke of the conspiratorial narrative of author Dan Brown.

In fact any author or scholar attempting to misuse this painting because of some bizarre religious conspiracy theory is going to be wrong because this painting was done in humanistic terms. The writer of this article in About.com insists that Dan Brown was wrong to conclude that the absence of the cup of Christ means "…the Holy Grail must be something other than a cup" (About.com). Symbolism played a significant role in Leonardo's paintings, and in the Last Supper he uses symbols to depict humanism.

The facial expressions of the characters symbolize that Christ was human just like they were; Every one of the apostles expressions "…represent distress or confusion" simply because humans show stress and anxiety; indeed, they are incredulous that someone among they would betray Christ (the Hub). Juxtaposed with the concerned and anxious facial expressions of the apostles is Christ's expression, which is "…calm and pure because he is the son of God and is forgiving of sin" (the Hub).

Symbolism also is reflected in the painting by the fact that the apostles are all in groups of three (the Trinity); moreover, there are three windows behind Christ and Christ's figure is in the shape of a triangle. The humanism comes through this painting because even though Christ is the Son of God and considered a deity, he is seen as very human and yet Christ stands apart from the others at the table, giving him radiance without putting a halo over his head.

Humanism in the Renaissance posited that everyone is worthy of an equal chance, and even though peasants were not the socioeconomic equal of the wealthy, peasants were human and deserving of an equal opportunity. Humanism in fact was an attempt "…to resurrect and emulate the literature and art of the ancient Greeks and Romans," Neil Haughton writes in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Renaissance painters emphasized the "positive attributes of their subjects, both physical and political," rather than "realistic interpretation" (Haughton, 2004).

As to the impact the Renaissance had on the founding of America, authors Richard Vetterli and Gary Bryner suggest that the American Revolution was "…less…the first political act of revolutionary enlightenment as the last great act of the Renaissance" (Vetterli, 1996, 14). In fact the authors say that the American founders were "civic humanists"; indeed, the beliefs, the attitudes and the character of the American founders "…could not help but have been deeply affected by…" Renaissance humanists (Vetterli, 15).

In conclusion, the works by Leonardo Da Vinci, in addition to the Last Supper, are very representative of Renaissance humanism. The Mona Lisa, and Da Vinci's other brilliant works, show the human side of life.