The Last Supper: Google Digitizes Leonardo Da Vinci Painting In Gigapixel Detail

When one thinks of the most iconic paintings of legendary painter Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper surely comes to the mind of many, apart from Monalisa, obviously.

The original mural was painted in the Convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan.

Wikipedia

However, with age and the nature of the painting itself (being painted on a wall instead of on a canvas or other medium) there has been considerable deterioration in its condition with a ton of loss in detail.

But, there exists a copy of this exact painting, recreated by Giampietrino and Giovanni Antonio Boltfraffio in the form of an oil canvas which was created during the 1515-1520s. Relatively the same size as the original painting, it shows details like the original painting cannot today.

This painting rests in the Royal Academy of Arts and now Google has teamed up to get this along with other art creations online using its Gigapixel technology for people to witness it in beautiful detail right from the comforts of their home, in the form of an online exhibition, during this lockdown.

Royal Academy of Arts

Google Arts & Culture head Luisella Mazza said in a statement, ¡°The Royal Academy is famed for being experimental, welcoming and a thoroughly modern institution for art lovers everywhere,' said Google Arts & Culture head Luisella Mazza. Although we are unable to visit in person, we can still experience it from anywhere in the world.¡±

She added, ¡°By bringing their stories online, Google Arts & Culture will allow users to go behind the scenes and explore the range of activities that go on at this innovative and extraordinary institution.¡±

The Last Supper in amazing detail

The reason the painting by Giampietrino and Giovanni Antonio Boltfraffio is iconic because it shows the detail and elements that have been lost in the original like Jesus¡¯s feet which was lost when a door was cut through the refectory wall on which it was painted, among several others.

This isn¡¯t the only painting in the exhibit though. There are over 230 curated photographs and videos including 24 artworks that are captured with the Gigapixel Google Art Camera system, allowing you to look at the brush strokes and texture in excruciating detail.

These include artwork by John Constable¡¯s 1825 painting, ¡®The Leaping Horse¡¯, Mary Moser¡¯s Spring and Joshua Reynold¡¯s self-portraits.

Google Arts and Culture also allows you to visit the Royal Academy right from your living room using its Google Street View tours, as well as see the arts from the museums on the walls of their homes using the ¡®Art Projector¡¯ feature.

Google Arts and Culture

Google Arts and Culture: Future of tourism

Google Arts and Culture, using its Gigapixel technology as well as Google Street View, is allowing people who are locked in the confines of their home, to experience monuments (like Taj Mahal), artwork and venues while sitting on their couch.

Some even have the option to use Google Cardboard to have a more immersive experience. Sure it is not as good as being present at the venue to see it right from your eyes, but this capture technology is surely allowing us to experience every detail, making the experience from home more intuitive and engrossing than before.