The Last Supper 1632

Peter Paul Reubens painted The Last Supper in oil on panel in the 17th century. In the Catholic tradition, the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is a sacrament commemorating the Last Supper. Painted during the Counter-Reformation, Reubens aimed to re-establish the Catholic Church’s power and reputation as a champion of the arts. The painting is full of drama, with an emphasis on emotion and movement, an open book illuminated by candlelight, and a dog fighting for discarded bones under the table. Reubens' painting is markedly different from earlier interpretations of the Last Supper, especially Leonardo Da Vinci's restrained Renaissance version. Instead, Rubens chooses to inject drama and movement, thus engaging the viewer's emotions. Art historians, like myself, can look at the painting to reconstruct the cultural and religious understanding of the artist and the elites that surrounded him. By studying the historical context, we can learn more about the role of art in society.