REPRESENTATIONS OF THE LAST SUPPER SCENE IN ROMANIAN MEDIEVAL AND WESTERN RENAISSANCE MURAL PAINTING

Abstract The Last Supper is established as one of the representative scenes of Byzantine iconography, one that was retrieved in the Romanian medieval mural painting as well. Its iconography is historical, and appears represented in the nave in the Passion area, or liturgical, being exhibited in the main apse, with an emphasis on the Holy Eucharist. It is generally included in the Passion cycle. Apart from the display on the wall, as a mural, it can also be displayed on a wooden support, on canvas or on paper. Over time, the way it is represented has changed, and this depends primarily on the school which the respective painter or craftsman belongs to, on local or external influences, then on the distribution of the characters, especially on the place occupied by Jesus, the shape of the table, the dimensions of the composition, the shape of the wall on which it is painted, etc. This way, there will be scenes in which the table appears either in the shape of a horseshoe, round, oval or rectangular or in the shape of the letter U, Jesus being rendered with His head slightly bowed, having a sad face, either on the left or in the middle of the Apostles, and in some compositions we will also see Him on the right side. Judas begins to be represented with his hand outstretched for food, and John slightly inclined or even lying on Jesus’ chest or supported by His arm, sometimes also shown standing as can be seen in the Princely Church from Curtea de Arges. The halo around the head is not present in all scenes. Gradually, the objects on the table change both in number and in the way they are arranged on the table. The cloth covering the table and the architectural decoration in the background are also painted differently. In Wallachia and Moldavia it is found in the iconographic program of many churches, but in some of them it is preserved damaged. In Western medieval art, the scene is widely used in the Renaissance era and is most often depicted at a rectangular table, the most famous of which is the work of Leonardo da Vinci. Here, attention is drawn to the representation of the Apostles, who in Giotto, for example, appear on either side of the table, and some of them are shown with their backs. The scenery in the background is also interesting, in some cases completed with vegetation, animals and birds. In general, medieval art, both Eastern and Western, presents elements that are common in the representation of the scene, but also elements that differ and thus contribute to its specific character, which is why it occupies a special place not only in iconography, but also in artistic compositions belonging to different styles. The differences are conferred by the use of stylistic and plastic details, the shape and size of the composition, to which one may add other elements specific to the school of painting, the artist, etc.