''Leonardo and the Last Supper'', is a 2011 book written by
Ross King, a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer. He was awarded Canada's 2012
Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction
The Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in English. Since 1987 it is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Litera ...
for ''Leonardo and the Last Supper'', his examination of
da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
's iconic
15th century religious mural.
Overview
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
's painting of
The Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...
in the former refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan took him and his team of assistants about three years to complete. The painting was not painted using traditional fresco technique but used an experimental oil-based medium. This proved to be a disaster as on a wall prone to damp, the paint surface quickly deteriorated. For centuries the painting was subjected to invasive restorations and retouchings.
Critical response
In a positive review for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Charles Nicholl wrote; "King has the gift of clear, unpretentious exposition, and an instinctive narrative flair."
Michiko Kakutani, writing for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called the book a "gripping account" and wrote that, although there is not much new research, King does a "fluent and insightful job of weaving together all his research."
References
2011 non-fiction books
Bloomsbury Publishing books
Cultural depictions of Leonardo da Vinci
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