The Last Supper 1994

Sliman Mansour made this painting entitled 'The Last Supper', measuring 145 by 118 centimetres, with no date specified. It offers a Palestinian reinterpretation of Leonardo da Vinci's famous scene. Mansour sets the supper in a Palestinian landscape, with the men dressed in traditional Arab clothing, and the meal consisting of local dishes. The location is also significant. They are gathered on a rooftop. The setting creates a space for communal solidarity. This is especially pertinent to the contemporary politics of Palestine, in which gathering in public spaces is an act of resistance to occupation. Here, Mansour powerfully reclaims a central image of Western art for Palestinian social and political purposes. Art history teaches us that no image is neutral. The politics of imagery are always at play, and a work like this encourages us to explore further the historical context that gives it meaning.