I'm not really that into the painting, or religious art in general. And I had heard from various online research and various people who had been to see it that the 400+ years of neglect and attempted restoration had rendered the piece a far cry from what it ever was. And the information I read at the museum told me the same thing; the room it is housed in was once bombed, then used as barracks for soldiers in Napoleon's army. Even more blatantly uncultured, a group of Dominican monks literally cut a doorway through it, eliminating the part that showed Jesus' feet (we can only assume he was wearing sandals). Nonetheless, I was excited to see one of the most famous paintings on earth (a "meta-painting" as some would call it) and it turns out, since Milan is the smallest big city in the world, that it was only about 12 mintues away from my apartment, through a gorgeous neighborhood with rooftoop greenhouses and vines everywhere a couple blocks away from the easily-accessible Stazione Cadorna.
My ticket to see the painting. 1 group of 25 people has exactly 15 minutes to see the piece. There is no talking and dress code is strictly enforced.
A view of the Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The red brick building is the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the yellow building is the entrance to the Cenacolo Vinciano, where The Last Supper is housed.
The interior of the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie
When it's your group's turn to enter the room, you go through about 3 different holding rooms with sliding glass doors and tons of security cameras. You really feel like cattle. But like artsy cultured cattle.
This is it. The only picture I was able to get of the painting. I am usually not the type to "sneak" photos when it's not allowed, but I tried this one time and was literally almost kicked out! I have no idea why they're so against it but I never want to get that look again.
While it wasn't AS glorious as, say, the Duomo (in my opinion), it was definitely an experience. And fun to see a famous painting like that in such a weird setting, i.e. not in a museum. It made me appreciate even more the cultural assets Milan has to offer. I have to say, I really love it here.
Hey! This is a good read. I will be looking forward to visit your page again and for your other posts as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the last supper tickets in your area. I am glad to stop by your site and know more about the last supper tickets. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteA first restoration was attempted in 1726 by Michelangelo Bellotti, who filled in missing sections with oil paint then varnished the whole mural. This repair did not last well and another restoration was attempted in 1770 by Giuseppe Mazza. Mazza stripped off Bellotti's work then largely repainted the painting; he had redone all but three faces when he was halted due to public outrage. In 1796 French revolutionary anti-clerical troops used the refectory as an armory; they threw stones at the painting and climbed ladders to scratch out the Apostles' eyes. The refectory was then later used as a prison; it is not known if any of the prisoners may have damaged the painting. In 1821 Stefano Barezzi, an expert in removing whole frescoes from their walls intact, was called in to remove the painting to a safer location; he badly damaged the center section before realizing that Leonardo's work was not a fresco. Barezzi then attempted to reattach damaged sections with glue. From 1901 to 1908, Luigi Cavenaghi first completed a careful study of the structure of the painting, then began cleaning it. In 1924 Oreste Silvestri did further cleaning, and stabilised some parts with stucco.
Combo Ticket Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper + Exhibition Codex Atlanticus at Bramante's Sacristy and Ambrosiana Library: visit the three museums on the same date!
The last supper tickets