Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569–1622)
The Last Supper
1618
Oil on canvas
287 x 370 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris
Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569–1622)
The Last Supper
1617
Black stone, black and brown ink on paper
33 cm x 52.1 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris
The Last Supper was painted for the high altar of the church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles in Paris, which dates back to the 13th century
Apparently Poussin admired the work and praised it greatly
It was considered to be Pourbus` masterpiece
It had a considerable influence on French painting
The work appears to have been commissioned when Cardinal Henri de Gandi, Archbishop of Paris, (« cardinal de Retz ») made it into a parish church in its own right in 1617 after the erection of the choir of the church in 1611
Flemish by birth and training, Pourbus was court painter of Archduke Albert in Brussels when in 1600 he went to Italy at the invitation of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua
In 1611 he became Maria de' Medici's court painter in Paris as well as that of Louis XIII
He is renowned now mainly for his portraits and for his historical scenes
His religious art is often overlooked
Late Mannerist, he was the son and grandson of artists
It has been said of the artist that he inherited from them "an incredibly ornate, decorative style, and the ability to depict the various textures of skin, hair, fabric, lace and pearl with admirable precision"
In his portraits he followed the international style where the portrayal of character was less important than the meticulous reproduction of sumptuous costumes and jewellery.
Image was more important than the reality
But here in this religious work we see the intelligent characterisation and dramatisation of an historical event which was to change the history of mankind
We see a Christ who is majestic yet human, humble and of common stock
He is seated not lying down on a couch
His authority is evident and natural
His hands are in a tender embrace towards his apostles
Each apostle is differeniated
Judas rises from the table, with his purse, the sole object of his attention
In the standard work on the artist, Blaise Ducos, Frans Pourbus le Jeune (1569-1622): Le Portrait d’apparat à l’aube du Grand Siècle entre Habsbourg, Médicis, et Bourbons. Paris : Faton, 2011. 399 pp. ISBN: 978-2-87844-151-2, Ducos (curator of Dutch and Flemish Painting at the Louvre) argues that the artist`s key to success was his ability to adjust his pictorial style subtly to suit the particular needs and tastes of the court for which he was working
This was the age of Rubens, a man Pourbus knew very well. It was a time when the artist was expected to serve and advance the interests of his patrons as players in a highly theatricalised court culture.
But in this work there is no flattery and no advancement of human patrons
It is simply a prayer and a statement of an article of the artist`s faith
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