Design Principles - Task 2: Visual Analysis & Ideation

24/2/25 - 3/3/25 (Week 4-Week 5)
Samuel Keane / 0376236
Design Principles / Bachelors of Design (Honors) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 2: Visual Analysis & Ideation

JUMPLINKS


INSTRUCTIONS


TASK

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo)

Title: The Last Supper

Artist: Leonardo da Vinci

Year Created: 1495–1498

Size: 460 cm × 880 cm

Medium: tempera & oil paint, dry wall.

Visual Analysis

1. Observation

The Last Supper is a mural painting made by Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian painter from the renaissance era. Commissioned by the Duke of Milan, this painting was painted for three years, from 1495 to 1498 in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The technique used for this painting was very experimental, since instead of using the usual fresco technique, Leonardo painted on a dry plaster using tempera and oil to achieve more detail with longer working time. This, however resulted in faster deterioration. 

2. Analysis

Leonardo used symmetrical balance for this painting, creating a composition where Jesus, serving as the focal point so he can be the center of attention on the painting, dividing the 12 apostles into two big groups, dining with Jesus on His left and right side. Leonardo also made an emphasis on The Christ by isolating His figure in the middle. Moreover, the contrast on the windows behind Jesus, further emphasizing His importance in the painting. The way the apostles express themselves and the desaturated colors somewhat help creating a sense of harmony. Unity can also be seen in the painting from the way the figures in this painting was moving. The disciples are divided into groups of 3 with every of the apostle moving and interact in different ways.

3. Interpretation

This mural painting features the last supper Jesus had with his disciples before he was arrested by the Roman soldiers and crucified on a cross. Jesus was drawn with a calm, serene expression which contrasts with the intense reactions of the 12 disciples, emphasizing his awareness of the betrayal and the upcoming sacrifice. His stretched arms create a shape reminiscent of a triangle, symbolizing the Holy Trinity. The light around his head also acts like a natural halo, further emphasizing his divinity. The symbolisms were also made pretty clear, like how Peter immediately leans toward John, whispering for answers since John was God's favorite disciple.

"Improving selected artwork" Sketch

Fig. 2.1, Increased contrast and saturation

Since I think this painting is very good already, the first improvement that came across my mind is just to simply make the color on the painting less muted. This painting has been deteriorating for centuries so it is not a surprise that the colors are getting paler. For me personally, the desaturated colors make the painting less exciting to look at. I also think it would have been better if the color is more contrasting since the depth of colors can also make it easy for people to notice that the subtle details and colors can be more noticeable.

Fig. 2.2, Poster remake sketch

For the second idea, I tried to turn this mural into a poster design. Since I think the artwork by itself is very well made already, I decided to make a poster with a very different aesthetic out of it. I decided to write the title big enough to catch the attention of readers, with a subtitle that said "final meal before the betrayal."  Also, I will put cropped images of the apostles under the cropped Jesus. I will also emphasize Judas with different color to make him stand out since he was the one who betrayed Jesus. On the bottom, I put Leonardo's name as well as the year the painting was made.

Fig. 3.3, Graffiti text behind the figures

My last idea is to add the title of the painting on top of the figures. The text that I will be using is something more of a graffiti style text. The idea of combining modern art with a renaissance painting is somewhat artistic. The use of words on the painting makes it seem like a historical piece is vandalized which I feel like very exciting and rebellious.


FEEDBACK

Week 3

Mr. Fauzi reminded me to insert the image for the painting I analyzed. Also, He gave me a few tips on what to do when I do the sketches for this task.

Week 4

Out of my 3 sketches, Mr. Fauzi prefers my second sketch which has more information overall.

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