Feast in the House of Levi
Dublin Core
Title
Description
In this painting, we see a crowded banquet, replete with a multitude of Biblical figures including Jesus Christ and Judas. Veronese highlights Jesus’ holiness by using light colors and gold around his head as a halo, making his immediate surroundings lighter. This contrasts with the wide variety of rich and deep colors Veronese uses to depict the many figures along the long table. In addition, more emphasis is put on Jesus and his surroundings by the three arches that frame the painting in the foreground. The division through the arches of the painting into thirds combined with the concentration of light in the center pulls the viewers focus to the center of the painting. In addition, Veronese uses composition to draw attention to the middle. It is much more crowded with people on the two sides, meaning that it is harder to focus on the sides. In addition, Jesus’s robe is much more textured than most of the other pieces of clothing in the mid-ground, focusing the viewer’s eye on him. David Rosand believes that because of the vastness of the work, the audience needs to find spaces to focus on. Thus, the division of the arcade needed to occur in order to focus the viewer’s attention on a specific portion. [1]
This work was painted for the refectory of the Dominicans of San Zanipolo in Venice to replace Last Supper by Titian destroyed in the fire of 1571. Veronese had originally intended it to show the Last Supper in the house of Simon, a famous depiction; however, when the Inquisition, spurred by the Counter-reformation, were angered by the paganism depicted by the inclusion of German soldiers, buffoons, and dwarfs, he was forced to change the title to Feast in the House of Levi, a much less celebrated Biblical tale. Brian D’Argaville also theorizes that other parts of the painting were also changed, such as the addition of two figures that face away from Christ. This adds to the pagan nature of the painting because of the lack of focus on Christ [2]. Carolin Young also shows that the boisterous depiction of the dinner adds to the pagan feel of the painting. The large amounts of people and servants enjoying the meal and making conversation adds to the hedonistic quality of the supper [3].
[1] David Rosand, "Theater and Structure in the Art of Paolo Veronese," in The Art Bulletin (New York: CAA, 1973), 225.
[2] Brian T. D’Argaville, Inquisition and Metamorphosis: Paolo Veronese and the "Ultima Cena" of 1573," in RACAR: Revue D'art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review (Ontario: UAAC, 1989), 45.
[3] Carolin C. Young, Food in the Arts: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery (United Kingdom: Prospect Books, 1999), 234.
Creator
Source
Rosand, David. "Theater and Structure in the Art of Paolo Veronese." The Art Bulletin 55, no. 2 (1973): 217-39. Accessed September 29, 2020. doi:10.2307/3049096.
D'ARGAVILLE, BRIAN T. "Inquisition and Metamorphosis: Paolo Veronese and the "Ultima Cena" of 1573." RACAR: Revue D'art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review 16, no. 1 (1989): 43-99. Accessed September 29, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630415.
Young, Carolin C. Food in the Arts: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 1998. United Kingdom: Prospect Books, 1999.