The Flaky Last Supper
1497 AD
1497 1497
09.08E45.31N
ART

MILAN, ITALY
	"Surely not I, Lord?" the disciples cried out.
	In this classic mural, "The Last Supper," Leonardo da Vinci has captured the 12 disciples' various reaction the moment after Jesus said that one of them would betray him.
	Jesus is portrayed serenely alone in the center of the picture while his disciples discuss this shocking announcement in small groups on either side. Only Judas, who betrayed him, also seems to be alone.
	Da Vinci finished the Last Supper in about 1497 for the dining hall of the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. He did not want to paint quickly, as the commonly-used fresco technique demanded, so he used a material of his own invention to hold the paint to the wall. Unfortunately, the invention failed, and much of the mural has flaked away over the years.