Write your abstract here. Da Vinci Code Sequel ? New Claim of Coded Images Hidden in The Last Supper.
One of the most famous religious paintings of all time, da Vinci''s The Last Supper, has
been studied and scrutinized throughout the ages. Now a computer
programmer says that he has found yet another secret code embedded in
the
painting. Slavisa Pesci claims he has found new images in the 15th
mural in Milan''s Santa Maria delle Grazie
church by superimposing a
reverse image on the original image.When doing so, Pesci said the two figures on either end of the long
table, for example, appear to become knights and another appears to
hold an infant. When the image is reversed and superimposed, a figure in red robes
appears at the end of the table, and the John the Beloved (or Mary
Magdalene) figure appears to have disappeared from the left even though
the image should be, in theory, symmetrical. Pesci says he couldn’t possibly assign any meaning to the images,
pointing out that he is not an art historian, but suggested it may
reflect Leonardo’s well-known interest in mathematics. When Leonardo da Vinci died, he knew of 12 copies of The Last
Supper, which were works of his former apprentices. The genuine work
consumed two years of his life. Without lots of talent and months of
labor, no one could even come close to truly copying the masterpiece.
Some claim that Da Vinci embedded his painting with secret codes and
meaning to set it apart from any other work. Another controversial claim about the painting is that the
feminine-looking figure to the right of Christ is actually Mary
Magdelene and not John the beloved. Even more controversial is the
claim that Jesus and Mary Magdelene were married, and possibly had
offspring as portrayed in the fictional movie The Da Vinci Code. Princeton religion professor Elaine Pagels, has said that the real
story of Christianity’s roots is “much more interesting than fiction,”
and that it’s all about power, not sex. "The idea that Jesus was Mary Magdalene''s lover, and husband, and
father of her children is pretty far fetched, as far as I''m concerned.
That''s not what was on the minds of the leaders of the early church as
they decided which gospels to preserve and which to ban as heretical”,
Pagels said. Even so, she says that Mary Magdalene was a focal point in the
debate over the path Christianity took in its earliest years — and that
is has affected the catholic church ever since. According to Pagels, one of the key issues was whether Mary
Magdalene — and, by extension, women in general — could hold authority. "That''s what made the leaders of the church more nervous than sex,"
Pagels said. "Can women speak? Can they be disciples? And the answer in
the orthodox church was, absolutely not. The answer in these other
gospels was yes, but Peter wouldn''t let them." Pagels says that the gospels deemed unorthodox were outcast partly
because they hint at Mary having some authority. "They all say that
Peter and Mary used to argue over whether she could be a disciple.
Peter was trying to silence Mary — and Jesus kept silencing Peter, and
not Mary." Another mystery associated with the painting is why Da Vinci omitted
the grail, given that the grail is one of the central elements of the
Last Supper story. One claim is that an image of the holy grail can be
seen on the wall above the apostle on the far left of the painting.
While there is such an image that could possibly be interpreted as a
chalice, most experts say it was probably not intentional. However, Da Vinci likely did infuse the painting with symbolic
meaning, which was not uncommon at the time. The painting appears to
contain several references to the number 3, which some experts say is
an allusion to the Holy Trinity. The Apostles are seated in groupings
of three; there are three windows behind Jesus; and esus''
figure resembles a triangle. Galaxy News Reported July 30th, 2007.