St. James the Greater, Apostle at the Last Supper in Leonardo

Sacristy - Hanging Tapestry

Feast of Saint James, my Baptismal Patron.
From the Tapestry in the Sacristy we look at the Leonardo 'Last Supper' is the photo focused on role of James the Greater.

It is a beautiful meditation on Saint James and the reverberating flickers of glowing radiance in that one experience.
The tapestry, by a loving needle skill, succeeds containing the details; James flung up hand closest to Jesus, Christ's hand left hand with palm turned upwards and even his his lightly retraced left hand (now only visible on copies). 
A commentary on the Leonardo 'Last Supper' is an exciting narrative.
" The composition of this painting rests in many ways on a dynamic and a polar symmetry. This lends it the incomparable vitality that raises it far above both its predecessors and its successors. It is revealed even in the comparison between the groups in their relation to the strictly symmetrical background of the chamber. We see that there are three heads in front of the rear wall on the right (Thomas, lames the Great and Philip) and only one-and-a-half on the left John and the face of Peter). In front of the right side-wall three persons stand out, namely the outer group (with the body of Philip as the link). And in front of the left wall there are four-and-a-half persons, namely the outer group with the addition of Judas (with the greater part of Peter's head as the link). Similar observations can also be made regarding the distribution of heads in front of the tapestries and the spaces between them. On both sides there is a crossing over of heads in each inner group. 

Giampietrino-Last-Supper-ca-1520    

On the right three figures have jumped up, but only one on the left. On the right three apostles of the inner group are jostling close to Christ with conspicuous expressive gestures. On the left there is a striking distance between Christ and the three closest to him who are also not gesticulating so vehemently. This is emphasized by the section of wall that stands like a pillar between the central opening and the left window  In front of the section of wall between the right window (which is mostly concealed in contrast to its fully visible counterpart on the left) and the central opening (which appears to be a door) there are two hands, one pointing upwards (Thomas) and one flung upwards Oames). In addition there is Christ's left hand with the palm turned upwards and even his lightly retracted left foot (now only visible on copies). Here the upward direction is emphasized, a degree of levity in contrast to the heaviness of the pillar."

Michael Ladwein

Leonardo da Vinci 'The Last Supper',

A Cosmic Drama and an Act of Redemption.

The Group of Individuals and their Gestures

Despite all the turbulence, the artist has not depicted a chaotically agitated crowd, for he has in a way subdued the excited band by dividing it into four groups of three. This division of twelve into four times three awakens obvious cosmic associations (see p.78ff) and is only possible because Judas has been reintegrated with the other disciples. But this is not a matter of four isolated groups of three, which would anyway be incompatible with Leonardo's genius. Although all the groups have entirely differing characteristics they are formally linked by means of certain gestures. On the left James the Less reaches out with his left hand and touches Peter on the shoulder (Fig.43), while on the right Matthew stretches both his hands towards those on his right while turning his head and upper body in the opposite direction  thus establishing a link between the two groups of three (Fig.39). Above and beyond this there are numerous subtle details both in the individual figures and in the characteristic way they interrelate which only become obvious on closer inspection.

 www.ladwein-reisen.de.

Thursday, 25 July 2013 St. James the Greater, Apostle - Feast
Other saints of the day
SAINT JAMES THE GREATER Apostle Feast         Among the twelve, three were chosen as the familiar companions of our blessed Lord, and of these James was one. He alone, with Peter and John, was admitted to the house of Jairus when the dead maiden was raised to life. They alone were taken up to the high mountain apart, and saw the face of Jesus shining as the sun, and His garments white as snow; and these three alone witnessed the fearful agony in Gethsemane.         What was it that won James a place among the favorite three? Faith, burning, impetuous, and outspoken, but which needed. purifying before the "Son of Thunder" could proclaim the gospel of peace. It was James who demanded fire from heaven to consume the inhospitable Samaritans, and who sought the place of honor by Christ in His Kingdom. Yet Our Lord, in rebuking his presumption, prophesied his faithfulness to death.         When St. James was brought before King Herod Agrippa, his fearless confession of Jesus crucified so moved the public prosecutor that he declared himself a Christian on the spot. Accused and accuser were hurried off together to execution, and on the road the latter begged pardon of the Saint. The apostle had long since forgiven him, but hesitated for a moment whether publicly to accept as a brother one still unbaptized. God quickly recalled to him the Church's faith that the blood of martyrdom supplies for every sacrament and, falling on his companion's neck, he embraced him, with the words, "Peace be with thee!"         Together then they knelt for the sword, and together received the crown. Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]