Flemish school; circa 1600.

Flemish school; circa 1600.
"Last Supper.
Oil on oak panel.
It has a stamp on the back.
It has restorations.
Measurements: 50,5 x 66,5 cm; 65,5 x 81 cm (frame).
The Last Supper is one of the most relevant representations in the history of western art. In the first place, because it is the concrete moment in which the sacrament of the Eucharist is established, since Jesus made the analogy between his body and the bread, and the wine and his blood. Secondly, the mythical scene, which was painted by Leonardo, laid the foundations of Renaissance aesthetics, thus contributing a conception of perspective that was hegemonic until well into the 20th century. In this particular case, the scene reflects this aesthetic based on the Leonardesque composition, and the figures are arranged in a similar manner. However, in this work the artist dispenses with the landscape and places all the main characters in an inconcrete interior space dominated by the presence of dark tones. Despite the fact that all the figures are placed in the form of a frieze, the artist has established several planes that add a certain depth to the whole. These are defined by the apostles in front of or behind the table, and by the anecdotal elements in the foreground, such as the jars, which allude to the moment when Jesus decided to wash the feet of all his apostles before the supper.
Formally, the scene belongs to the Flemish school and therefore follows classical rules, the first of which is its high technical quality. The drawing is rigorous and firm, with great anatomical perfection. It is a painting with a great symbolic sense that allows us to read it in two ways, symbolically and realistically. There is an importance for detail, with a meticulous description of the objects, nothing escapes the painter's eye, they tend to have many details, refinement is also abandoned, real beings appear without idealistic intention.