Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting the “Last Supper” (1498) was the main inspiration for Marisol Escobar (1984) composition “Self-portrait looking at the last supper.”
Similarities
Subject matter- Both Da Vinci and Escobar’s works capture the essence of the religious event of the last supper. These artworks capture different scenes that express the successive moments and apostles reactions to the betrayal and prophecy of the death of Christ.
Composition- “Last Supper” by Leonardo Da Vinci is the blueprint for Marisol Escobar, “Self-portrait looking at the last supper”. Although some elements of Escobar’s homage are different, the majority of features borrow from Leonardo’s work. For instance, both Leonardo and Escobar have twelve apostles arranged in groups of three around Jesus. Both paintings have similar layouts at the background, including three planes, behind Christ and the four planes on each side of the apostle that meet at the horizon behind Christ.
Differences
Art technique- Leonardo Da Vinci (1498) is a two dimensional mural painting of the last supper was developed from tempera and oil on plaster. Escobar’s, “Self-portrait looking at the last supper” is a composition created from mainly wood carving decorated using painting and drawing. The artist fluctuates between two and three-dimension in the creation of figures of the piece.
Unique elements- Although Escobar’s “Self-portrait looking at the last supper” is a homage, the artist still employs creativity to help distinguish her work from the original piece. Escobar freezes Christ in a brownstone carving, unlike the other figures. She is also part composition as a figure in front contemplating about the scenes at the table. Leonardo’s work is exclusively a painting.
The last supper, as captured by Leonardo Da Vinci and Marisol Escobar was an iconic moment in Christianity that captures the last meal of Jesus Christ with his disciplines before he was betrayed and crucified on the cross.