The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything - Part 6
To get his fresco of The Last Supper just right, Leonardo spent time in the streets of Milan. He was looking for the right people to use in his painting. Especially elusive was the face da Vinci would use for Judas.
Begging for his back salary, from the Duke, Leonardo finished the Last Supper in 1498. Everyone was stunned, and the Duke observed that the artist had surpassed himself.
However ... the technique which Leonardo developed, allowing him to take his time creating the fresco, nearly destroyed it. Throughout the following centuries, the famous Renaissance work has required numerous repairs.
See, also:
Da Vinci: The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything, Part 1
Da Vinci: The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything, Part 2
Da Vinci: The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything, Part 3
Media Credits
Clip from "Leonardo da Vinci," Episode 1: "The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything." Online, via BBC. Copyright, BBC, all rights reserved. Clip provided here as fair use for educational purposes and to acquaint new viewers with the program.
Leonardo - Mark Rylance
Salai - Che Cartwright
Actor - James Faulkner
Abbot - Paul Brooke
Executive Producer - Michael Mosley
Producer - Sarah Aspinall
Producer - Tim Dunn
Initial broadcast - April 20, 2003
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