Week 2

When I was growing up, my grandma had a print of The Last Supper in the dining room—in fact, it’s still hanging there. We saw it every time we ate. I knew the story of Christ’s last supper when I was little, but it wasn’t until I was an undergrad that I recognized the image and what it stood for in (Western) art history. When I could put it together in historical terms I thought it was kind of cool that my grandma had it. But the older I got, the more questions I had about it.

During his last supper, Christ tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. The painting captures the disciples’ respond to the news. They all have difference expressions and gestures, so we as viewers get a sense of their personality or disposition. Leonardo’s rendition of the moment is the most famous, and has been the subject of some popular culture interest with The Di Vinci Code films and books.

I certainly have doubts about the story and the painting. Generally, I doubt that Christ existed, but I also wonder why Christ and his disciples all look Italian? I understand that religious figures usually look like the people who worship them, but my family doesn’t look Italian. Why did my grandma have The Last Supper and not something that was more personal? What does it mean that we look at this moment of betrayal while we eat?

I think of Asco’s First Supper After a Major Riot as a great parallel. At least in terms of chronology, Asco’s work is much more relevant to me. It also took place in Los Angeles, not Milan. First Supper is also a responsive work, not a prophetic interpretation, which, to me, seems more honest.