The Last Supper

Journal Excerpt

Friday, March 4th 2011
Milan, Italy

Saw the Last Supper today...

just to get into the room it's located in, you have to go through 2 previous chamber-type rooms that regulate temperature control and remove pollution & debris from your body, purifying, so as to not bring damaging elements into the room in order to preserve the painting. Only 25 people at a time are allowed in the room to view it. This is because Leonardo Da Vinci used paints one would use to paint a canvas, but that do not suffice as well on a wall/mural painting. The paints he used are much harder to preserve and are not long-lasting, but he did this so he could take as much time as he needed on the painting, carefully constructing each move until it was perfect. The paints he used allowed him to go back and make changes, which he was constantly doing. He put so much time and effort into his work, using science and research to perfect it, sketching out every move before executing it. He studied sound waves and ripples to make the positions of the subjects appear fluid and circular. He researched biblical and religious documents in order to convey each apostle's exact emotion and include iconography and significant elements in every detail. He chose Jesus' right temple as the focal point to create perfect illusion and distance perspective and to draw attention to the Christ. While it took Leonardo so long to finish one wall, Michaelangelo spent only 5 years painting the entire Sistine Chapel. This also explains why it was not such a process to get through the Sistine as it was the Last Supper, because it was made from Fresco and in much better shape. A lot of detail in the painting had already been lost, including Jesus' feet at the bottom of the table due to some Dominican Monks staying in the refectory who wanted to widen the door for easier kitchen access, as well as the floral detailing in the tapestry lost as a result of aging. Then, the Last Supper suffered from a bombing in 1943 during the war and was subjected to the conditions of nature while the refectory was rebuilt. The restoration lasted until 1999. Yet still, it is a miraculous and beautiful thing that it happened to be the only wall (along with the crucifixion painting) that survived the war and is still in tact today, though probably not for long. And so they strive each day, taking every precaution to preserve this masterpiece for as long as possible so that future generations may have the same opportunity I was so graciously given to awe at all its glory.

I love Florence.

Journal- 19.2.2011

Plan for the day- Boboli Gardens. I hear it is supposed to be a nice day, so I wear shorts with tights, boots, and a button up shirt. I know this will not be enough to keep me warm, but I figure I‘d rather wear this outfit on a day that‘s expected to be somewhat nice rather than any other. So I throw on my leather jacket and a scarf, crossing my fingers that I somehow won’t freeze. I walk out my door and reach Santa Croce where the sun is flooding the piazza. This weather calls for some Shwayze I think to myself, pop in my headphones and loosen up the scarf, my neck isn’t cold at all! I head down the road and upon reaching the arno, the jacket’s coming off, I’m actually somewhat hot with it on.. I don’t remember the last time I felt hot. Walking down the arno, everyone is out on this beautiful day. It’s fun to see the people laying out on the arno walls, couples stopping to enjoy their lunch in the sun, tourists taking photos of the ponte vecchio. I want to join in on the ‘doce far niente’ (the joy of doing nothing), but I’ve got to meet Hayley and Stacie at Boboli. So I continue my stroll and arrive at Pitti Palace, get my ticket (students are free-- I feel so VIP). Walking into Boboli, I am overwhelmed by how enormous this place is… and I still have to find my friends. After wandering a bit, we reunite and set off for exploring this beautiful garden in disbelief of what it actually is.. Or was. How this garden was made just for the Medici family, just to have a beautiful garden in their backyard, just because they had the money, just because they could. How Eleonora Medici was able to just come right out here behind her palace to have a picnic by the island fountain, or to take a stroll after dinner under the moonlight. With a view of all of Florence, beneath her, above all the rest. We make our way up to the highest point of the gardens to bask in the sun and take in the breathtaking views. And so I find myself here with you journal, thinking about how I could do this everyday, how there is just not enough time, to do it all, to see it all.. But to still enjoy the ‘dolce far niente.’