Thursday, April 21, 2011

Maundy Thursday

What is Maundy Thursday?  In short, it is the day commemorating the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples.

More information about the word "Maundy" from here:
1. (obsolete) A commandment.
2. (obsolete) The sacrament of the Lord's supper.
3. The ceremony of washing the feet of poor persons or inferiors, performed as a religious rite on Maundy Thursday in commemoration of Christ's washing the disciples' feet at the last supper.
4. The office appointed to be read during the ceremony of feet-washing.

Jacopo Bassano (1542)
Jacopo Bassano's Last Supper, painted in 1542, is one of the masterpieces of 16th century Italian painting. Instead of the elegant grouping of figures in Leonardos' painting, which inspired it, this dramatic scene features barefoot fishermen at the crucial moment when Christ asks who will betray him, and the light passing through a glass of wine stains the clean tablecoth red. Recent restoration has only now revealed the extraordinary original colours, which had been heavily painted over in the 19th century, when the emerald green and iridescent pinks and oranges were not in fashion.
and about the dog at the bottom of the painting:
The themes painted by Bassano are predominantly religious but in the Mannerist style he includes many every day articles, rural people, barns and farmhouses. His work is devoid of the grand temples, the silk and furs of his contemporaries; Bassano’s depictions are of normal people, undertaking daily tasks. Many of his works are Franciscan in content, full of nature and animals, the focal points of his pictures are often surrounded by detailed images of farm animals, dogs and cats. His painting Two hunting dogs tied to a tree is credited with being one of the first animal portraits in Western art in existence.

4 comments:

  1. An interesting post!
    I believe in God but I don't go to church nor did I grow up going. But I find religion extremely fascinating.

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  2. Great information! I have never seen this particular painting! Great depiction of the Lord's Supper in a different way!

    Have a blessed day, HUGS!

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  3. What a lifelike painting. You know, we called this day "Holy Thursday" and sometimes went to mass if we were out of school. I've always heard of Maundy Thursday, but didn't realize it referred to this day. Thanks Nancy, I'll not forget it now-I knew there had to be a special name for it. Have a great Easter.

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  4. I haven`t heard the term Maundy Thursday for years. The painting is beautiful. I love vibrant colors and the fact that those old masterpieces can be restored. Thank you so much for sharing.

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