"The Last Call"

This is the finale image for the Renaissance/Baroque/Classicism period of my project. I had a lot of fun studying this movement in European art, but am even more excited for what comes next (Art Nouveau). Art history tends to take an Anglicized Euro-centric position, ignoring or minimizing the formative influence Asian art had on Art Nouveau...so I am really excited to explore that which leads up to Art Nouveau.

There is so much I want to learn. But, for now, let's talk about the historical references of this render.

This is a study of "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci (1495) and "The Last Supper" by Philippe de Champaigne (1652). It's the same story painted at opposite ends of the Renaissance, exemplifying the techniques that started and ended the Renaissance movement.

Composition Check

TL;DR, the Renaissance was characterized by innovations in perspective and composition that allowed artists to create the illusion of 3D space. Leonardo's "The Last Supper" is one of the works credited with starting the Renaissance because of it's innovative (for it's time) use of perspective and composition.

See how all the orthogonal lines converge at the horizon just behind Jesus' head? It's impossible to miss; our eyes naturally gravitate to the vanishing point. Leonardo uses dynamic symmetry to balance the remaining subjects in the scene, grouping them to further emphasize Jesus' presence (see: white circles above).

Philippe's version of "The Last Supper" also makes use of vanishing point and dynamic symmetry...but these were no longer innovative 150 years later. Instead, Philippe shows us emotional depth through expression and gesture; each person has their own unique gesture! This does two things: it defines the character of each individual, while at the same time is a compositional device to direct our eyes along the painting.

I tried to mashup the unique innovations of each painting to create a new composition.

Here I've placed the vanishing point just behind Chris and used dynamic symmetry to place the characters in orbit around him. Only the bartender breaks the inner circle (Thomas is the only person to break the circle in Leonardo's version).

Narrative and Characters

Instead of the scene being about the last supper, this is about the last call, that moment before a bar stops serving alcohol. It's so late that we're seeing the sun rise behind Chris, illuminating his divine presence. Although the scene centers around Chris, the hands and sight lines tell a different story. If you look closely, gestures from Philippe's version make a cameo.

You might also recognize some characters from previous renders...I'm being economical and reusing people, but I tried to keep it interesting by progressing their stories as well. Chris made his first appearance in "The Ascension of Chris at Steamworks."

As always, I've used symbols of queer culture--an upside-down leather pride flag, The Eagle logo, a Nasty Pig jock--to add to the hidden meaning.

Environment

This scene takes place at the rooftop deck of The Eagle in New York, overlooking Manhattan.

If you enjoyed this, how about:

The Crossing at 7th and Stonewall

The Indulgence of Camp

Outtake: highland bull

Hustlin' Hog's Rear View

It Came From Behind

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