The Triangle Whether the posture of Jesus, with his arms open before him, was intended to represent a triangle is debatable. There are plenty of good reasons to depict Christ in such a stance. It conveys a sense of calm and inner authority which contrasts sharply with the agitation of the disciples

Three centres for The Last Supper? With the presentation of Brachert’s grid in the last mini-series, things seem at first to get a little out of hand. 📐 In effect, the composition has three different centres: •The centre of the grid itself •The vanishing point •The centre of the pediment

Book Talk: The Geometry of the Last Supper I'm thrilled to announce I'll be giving a talk at the All Good Bookshop (North London) on Friday, 28th November at 7.30pm. Join me to uncover the hidden beauty behind Leonardo’s masterpiece. Grab your ticket here 👇 allgoodbookshop.co.uk/order-items/...

The Grid #6 The grid acts as a structural framework for the proportions of the entire scene. It dictates the placement of key elements: the dining room’s walls, the ceiling, the back wall, the table and the floor. It also informs the positioning of the tapestries on either side of the composition.

The Grid #5 The median is the horizontal line of the grid that runs through its centre. In The Last Supper, the median of Brachert's grid aligns with the heads of all the protagonists but one. Judas, the one who will betray Jesus, is the only person whose face falls below the line.

The Grid #4 There is a wave-like motion running through the disciples. Those closest to Jesus express the most intense emotions, in stark contrast to the figures at the far ends of the table. The amplitude of this emotional "wave" is highest near Jesus and gradually flattens as it stretches out.

The Grid #3 Jesus just said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The range of emotions Leonardo portrays in the aftermath is astonishing. The multiplicity of reactions are counterbalanced by the serene presence of Jesus. A sense of order and harmony arises from the composition

The Grid #2 The 12-by-6 grid proposed by art historian Thomas Brachert in 1971 commands the architectural space in which the emotionally charged scene of The Last Supper unfolds. As we saw in a previous post, the tapestries align with the grid, and each side wall spans exactly four units in width.

The Grid #1 Following the evenly spaced beams of the ceiling in The Last Supper, art historian Thomas Brachert overlaid a 12-by-6 grid onto an image of the painting, revealing an underlying framework that could have informed Leonardo da Vinci’s compositional choices.

The Last Supper is like a snapshot. The instant painted by Leonardo da Vinci corresponds to John 13:21: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me’. Peter, leaning behind Judas, gets John’s attention and whispers in his ear, ‘Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.’ #TheLastSupper

The hypothesis of a hidden purpose driving the composition of the door and two windows gains momentum as we note that the proportions of the windows are in fact related to the proportions of the door. When we place the two windows side by side, we find that they fit perfectly into the doorframe!

The discovery of perspective was a breakthrough which revolutionised the visual arts. One was could now draw objects receding into the distance with accuracy. The idea is to sketch a checkerboard consisting of converging lines (orthogonals) and an array of parallel horizontal lines (transversals).

1/Above the door, a semi-circular pediment is faintly visible—its edges softened by the deterioration of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. Interestingly, the center of the circle that defines its outer edge is not aligned with the vanishing point of the perspective. Instead, it sits slightly higher.

Here is a close up of the vanishing point in the Last Supper. Where would you say it falls: on the ear of Jesus? #TheLastSupper #LeonardoDaVinci #RenaissanceArt #SymbolismInArt #Geometry #ArtHistory #GeometryInArt

Did you know that in the Last Supper, the corners of the windows are inscribed within the ray of perspective suggested by the tapestries? How much does this elegant design touch us, I wonder... #TheLastSupper #LeonardoDaVinci #RenaissanceArt #ArtHistory #GeometryInArt geometrylastsupper.com

Study for the Last Supper https://www.wikiart.org/en/leonardo-da-vinci/study-for-the-last-supper-1

Head of St. James the Less https://www.wikiart.org/en/leonardo-da-vinci/head-of-st-james-the-less

Heads of Sts Thomas and James the Greater https://www.wikiart.org/en/leonardo-da-vinci/heads-of-sts-thomas-and-james-the-greater

Famously, there aren’t any tiles on the floor of the Last supper. The powerful illusion of perspective relies predominantly on the four tapestries hanging on either side and the coffered ceiling. #renaissanceart #leonardodavinci #geometryinart #TheLastSupper #ArtHistory geometrylastsupper.com

The beautiful cloister behind Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, where The Last Supper lives. #ArtHistory #LeonardoDaVinci #TheLastSupper #RenaissanceArt #Geometry #GeometryInArt #SymbolismInArt

Geometry isn’t just math — it’s Leonardo’s visual language. My new book examines how geometry guides the drama, theology, and symmetry of The Last Supper. Published by Matador (UK). #SacredGeometry

Such beauty! From this viewpoint (our eyes are below the centre of the mural), you would swear that the vanishing point is above Jesus' head. In fact, it is situated just below his temple. #TheLastSupper #leonardodavinci #geometry #renaissance

I couldn’t have found the geometry of the Last Supper without this book: Cathédrales, Le Verbe Géométrique. A masterful geometrical study of the facades of 4 French cathedrals: Amien, Reims, Rouen and Strasbourg. geometrylastsupper.com #TheLastSupper #LeonardoDaVinci #geometry #symbolism #art

Close call

Here is the key to the composition of the Last Supper! From the centre of the grid, follow Jesus' open arms and draw a triangle of base 4. The rotation of its sides will open everything up. Can you see how? geometrylastsupper.com #LeonardoDaVinci #Art #Geometry #Renaissance #Painting #Booksky

The grid commands the general proportions of the room and the disposition of the apostles but three elements defy its rule: the door & windows, the pediment, and the perspective. And this, ladies & gents, is where the geometry comes in! geometrylastsupper.com #LeonardoDaVinci #art #geometry

Can geometry (in art) actually mean something ?

Happy World Book Day ! www.geometrylastsupper.com

There is above the door a decorative pediment. It doesn't look like much, but it's symbolically significant as it is the only evocation of a circle in Leonardo's masterpiece. It's also an integral part of the geometry of the Last Supper. #Renaissance #Art #Geometry #LeonardoDaVinci #booksky

The groups of apostles are bound to the 12x6 grid, and constrained to 5 modules on the left, and 5 on the right. This leaves two modules in the centre occupied solely by the calming presence of Christ. geometrylastsupper.com #Renaissance #Art #Geometry #LeonardoDaVinci #Booksky #Painting

The line at the middle of the grid of the Last Supper (the median) passes through the head of the disciples. One disciple is below it, holding a purse in his fist: Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus. geometrylastsupper.com #LeonardoDaVinci #art #geometry #renaissance #painting #BookSky #composition

With this group of apostles seated next to Jesus, we see how the three disciples fit within 2 modules of the grid. Thomas's hair and beard are almost touching the grid, at the limit of their defined space. What's Thomas telling us? geometrylastsupper.com #Renaissance #art #LeonardoDaVinci #geometry

The disciples in the Last Supper form 4 groups. At each end of the table, the groups take the space of 3 modules of the grid. The two groups next to Jesus are confined within 2 modules each, leaving 2 for Jesus in the centre. geometrylastsupper.com #LeonardoDaVinci #art #geometry #renaissance

Scholars accept the existence of a grid of 12x6 that regulates the composition of the Last supper. It is suggested by the beams of the ceiling at the top. The tapestries, the size of the walls, even the groups of disciples are bound to it. geometrylastsupper.com #Renaissance #art #LeonardoDaVinci

There is above the door behind Jesus a decorative circular pediment. The circle that was used to draw the curve of its outline isn't centred on the vanishing point of the perspective but slightly above it. Strange no? geometrylastsupper.com #Renaissance #LeonardoDaVinci #art #painting #geometry

At first glance, the back wall seems to be going all the way down to the table. But when we draw the perspective lines going through the presumed corners of the room, we see that the floor is too small. Imagine having to fit the table within the red area! #Renaissance #LeonardoDaVinci #art #geometry

Perspective was theorised only 60 years before work started on The Last Supper. Yet Leonardo breaks away from the laws of perspective as you can see at the corner of the window. Why? (Read the teaser called 'Breaking the Law'. See you there!) geometrylastsupper.com #Renaissance #LeonardoDaVinci #art

Can you name all the disciples at the table of the Last Supper? They form four groups of three, and the most famous ones are on either side of Jesus. On the left there is Bartholomew, James the Minor, Andrew... www.geometrylastsupper.com #LeonardoDaVinci #renaissance #geometry #art

The Last Supper is like a snapshot. It corresponds to verse 24 from chapter 13 of John’s gospel. The disciples are reacting to what Jesus just said: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me’ (John 13:21). What is Peter asking John? www.geometrylastsupper.com #leonardo #renaissance

The story of a discovery: the geometry behind the composition of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. Accessible, beautiful, and full of meaning. It sheds a new light on this masterpiece of the Renaissance.