The next morning, I am at the ticket office at eight. There is just one lady ahead of me. She walks away soon. I wonder if she was there for cancelling or buying a ticket. As I walk to the window and request a ticket, the lady looks into her records and asks, is 3:30 in the afternoon okay? I say, yes. It is ten Euros without guide and 13.50 with an English-speaking guide, she says and waits for my answer. I choose the latter option. She swipes my card and hands over the receipt to me saying, be at the entrance ten minutes before your time. Soon I am out of the office thanking my stars.
I return to my hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, it is time to prepare for what I am going to see in the afternoon. Many interesting facts emerge while reading about the painting. It was the last decade of the 15th century. The main church building had been remodelled into a mausoleum for the ruling family of Milan. Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan commissioned the painting as a centrepiece for the mausoleum, and Leonardo da Vinci began working on it in 1495. Later, the structure was used as a convent, and this particular chamber as its dining hall.
It was customary to paint frescoes on wet plaster. It demanded the work to be completed quickly while the plaster was still wet. Leonardo did not wish to finish the work in a hurry and so he chose to paint on a dry wall. So this work is not exactly a fresco in reality. He coated the dry wall with a primer of white lead. This would increase the brightness of the oil and tempera that was to be applied later. Now Leonardo could afford to work slowly and achieve the desired effect of gradual shading in his painting.
It took him three years to complete the work. Within a few decades, the paint started flaking as it had not adhered properly to the dry wall. It has undergone several restorations since then. In 1652, a door was cut into the wall by the residents of the convent. It destroyed the lower part of the work in the centre, making the feet of Jesus disappear. Then, Napoleon's soldiers used the premises as a stable in the 18th century, causing further damage. The building was bombed in World War II, but the painting survived miraculously because of effective sandbagging.
After going through such details, I make way for the convent with heightened curiosity and reach a good 30 minutes before my allotted slot. 20 minutes later, I join others in my group at the entrance. Our guide arrives. She is a middle-aged lady who speaks English with a heavy accent. She could be Italian or French. She leads us through a narrow corridor into a wider corridor. The narrow corridor is lined with informative displays. We walk along the longer and wider corridor that runs parallel to the chamber holding the masterpiece. We reach a closed door and are asked to wait there. We are to enter only after the previous group has left. After a brief wait, the door is opened to let us in.
We find ourselves entering through the centre of the longer arm of a rectangular room. It is a bit dark inside. The iconic painting occupies the wall that stands to our right. A small barricade separates it from the visitors. It is large, 180 in x 350 in to be precise. The colours are dull, but the painting is not lifeless. It speaks to you through the gestures and facial expressions of Jesus and his 12 apostles. The long table in front of them with its frugal spread, the windows in the background, the walls on either side and the ceiling exist in perfect symmetry giving the picture an uncanny 3-dimensional feel. I have my ears tuned to the guide's commentary and my eyes focused on the wonder in front of me.
The angelic face of Jesus is the pivot around which the whole scene is planned. It represents the few moments after Jesus tells his apostles that one of them is going to betray him before sunrise. This arouses anger, shock and rage in them and each of them reacts with a different gesture and expression. It is not possible to study each one in detail in the limited time window available, so it is a good idea to take in the picture in its entirety and interpret it later with the help of prints. Of course some homework before the visit helps immensely. And with no disrespect to the guide, if you have enough prior knowledge about the painting, the guide does not add much value to the viewing experience.
Photography without flash is permitted. People pose in front of the painting and get their
pictures taken. The clock is ticking. The guide directs us to the wall opposite "The Last Supper" which is adorned with a fresco by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano on the crucifixion of Jesus. It is an intricate, elaborate and impressive work, dwarfed by the giant with which it shares this space.
A stern matronly lady who manages the traffic of visitors to this chamber indicates that our 15 minutes are over. The next batch is waiting outside the door. They will be let in only after we leave. The exit takes us to a small garden which opens outside, close to the entrance. There is a gift shop on the way for those who wish to buy memorabilia.
To be continued
Read the first part here.
I return to my hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, it is time to prepare for what I am going to see in the afternoon. Many interesting facts emerge while reading about the painting. It was the last decade of the 15th century. The main church building had been remodelled into a mausoleum for the ruling family of Milan. Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan commissioned the painting as a centrepiece for the mausoleum, and Leonardo da Vinci began working on it in 1495. Later, the structure was used as a convent, and this particular chamber as its dining hall.
 |
| The door that was cut into the painting made the feet of Jesus disaapper |
It took him three years to complete the work. Within a few decades, the paint started flaking as it had not adhered properly to the dry wall. It has undergone several restorations since then. In 1652, a door was cut into the wall by the residents of the convent. It destroyed the lower part of the work in the centre, making the feet of Jesus disappear. Then, Napoleon's soldiers used the premises as a stable in the 18th century, causing further damage. The building was bombed in World War II, but the painting survived miraculously because of effective sandbagging.
After going through such details, I make way for the convent with heightened curiosity and reach a good 30 minutes before my allotted slot. 20 minutes later, I join others in my group at the entrance. Our guide arrives. She is a middle-aged lady who speaks English with a heavy accent. She could be Italian or French. She leads us through a narrow corridor into a wider corridor. The narrow corridor is lined with informative displays. We walk along the longer and wider corridor that runs parallel to the chamber holding the masterpiece. We reach a closed door and are asked to wait there. We are to enter only after the previous group has left. After a brief wait, the door is opened to let us in.
We find ourselves entering through the centre of the longer arm of a rectangular room. It is a bit dark inside. The iconic painting occupies the wall that stands to our right. A small barricade separates it from the visitors. It is large, 180 in x 350 in to be precise. The colours are dull, but the painting is not lifeless. It speaks to you through the gestures and facial expressions of Jesus and his 12 apostles. The long table in front of them with its frugal spread, the windows in the background, the walls on either side and the ceiling exist in perfect symmetry giving the picture an uncanny 3-dimensional feel. I have my ears tuned to the guide's commentary and my eyes focused on the wonder in front of me.
The angelic face of Jesus is the pivot around which the whole scene is planned. It represents the few moments after Jesus tells his apostles that one of them is going to betray him before sunrise. This arouses anger, shock and rage in them and each of them reacts with a different gesture and expression. It is not possible to study each one in detail in the limited time window available, so it is a good idea to take in the picture in its entirety and interpret it later with the help of prints. Of course some homework before the visit helps immensely. And with no disrespect to the guide, if you have enough prior knowledge about the painting, the guide does not add much value to the viewing experience.
 |
| Photos by Lata |
pictures taken. The clock is ticking. The guide directs us to the wall opposite "The Last Supper" which is adorned with a fresco by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano on the crucifixion of Jesus. It is an intricate, elaborate and impressive work, dwarfed by the giant with which it shares this space.
A stern matronly lady who manages the traffic of visitors to this chamber indicates that our 15 minutes are over. The next batch is waiting outside the door. They will be let in only after we leave. The exit takes us to a small garden which opens outside, close to the entrance. There is a gift shop on the way for those who wish to buy memorabilia.
To be continued
Read the first part here.
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