Milan is Italy’s undeniable center of fashion and culture. The sophisticated nucleus at the heart of Milan is a spectacular mall that is beyond description. The gallery features intricate mosaic floors and a magnificent archway into its portico-covered “streets.”
The beautiful Duomo sits right next to the mall and it as radiant. Construction of this extravagant Gothic cathedral began in 1386 and it was 600 years in the making.
The Dumo aptly reflects the city’s creativity and ambition. Its pearly white facade, adorned with 135 spires and 3400 statues, rises like the filigree of a fairy-tale tiara, wowing the crowds with its extravagant detail.
We visited Milan on Easter Sunday which made the visit even more special. There was so much that I did not know about this painting, so I will just quote from the handout.
Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by the new ruler of Milan to paint his masterpiece, “The Last Supper”, in the convent’s refectory, or dining hall. The actual painting was done between about 1494 and 1498.
Rather than painting it as a fresco, he used a dry painting technique instead, in order to be able to proceed slowly and thoughtfully as he layered one veil of color after another. Da Vinci used perspective skillfully to present the scene as an extension of the actual space, so the viewer becomes a participant in the sacred episode.
In the composition, Leonardo captured the moment in which Jesus announced “… one of you will betray me” arousing surprise and dismay in the apostles gathered around him. This allowed the artist to accentuate the various psychologies through intense gestures, expressions and postures.
This masterpiece is still with us today even though the innovative dry painting technique Da Vinci used is problematic and the area was bombed during the war. As a precaution locals had erected iron scaffolding and filled them with sandbags.
