Da Vinci's perfect creation

The Last Supper is painted on a wall of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Picture / Reuters

It's a popular painterly subject, Christ's last supper. What makes da Vinci's version - which is on the plaster wall of a Dominican monks' dining room in Milan, Italy - so celebrated?

The artist is innovative in his portrayal of the subject and this is what makes the 4.57m x 8.8m work so compelling. To begin with, he places all 13 people on the far side of the table. But they aren't just seated in a row.

Da Vinci groups the protagonists in four dynamic groups of three and each group is in movement. Christ alone is a still figure in the centre.

Da Vinci has captured the moment when Christ declares that a disciple will betray him. What we see are the apostles' reactions: shock, anger, agitation, confusion, bewilderment, incredulity, resignation and acceptance. Judas alone doesn't react.

The drama is enhanced by da Vinci's use of perspective. For the monks in the dining hall, da Vinci's composition made it seem that they were part of the Last Supper. Now, a conundrum: Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code would have us believe The Last Supper presents Christ, with wife Mary Magdalene and 11 apostles.

This is not the case. Da Vinci was innovative, but not to this extent, and the ultra-conservative monastery was not a place where he could introduce unorthodox subject matter.

But his method of painting was revolutionary. The method known as fresco - where paint is applied to wet plaster and the two bind together as the paint dries - was combined with oil paint: da Vinci used a mixture of oil and tempera on dry plaster.

This technique gave him the time to create a naturalistic work and to render every tiny detail. Unfortunately, the pigment did not adhere to the wall and started falling off.

Rapid deterioration, even during da Vinci's lifetime, has resulted in 10 restorations, the most recent between 1978 and 1999.

Those who want to see the masterpiece at the Dominican convent adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie have to book 60 days in advance. See below for a link to the website.

The work

* Painting: The Last Supper, 1494-1498.
* Artist: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).
* Seen lately: In the runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code.
* See the original: Milan, Italy.

* Natalie Bell and Jessica Lane, each with an MA (Hons) in art history, are teaching a course called The Enigma of Leonardo at Auckland University's Centre for Continuing Education early next year. Se below for a link to the website.