Last Supper c. 1622

Giulio Benso’s “Last Supper”, located at the Art Institute of Chicago, is rendered in ink and wash. Its monochrome palette enhances the dramatic composition and evokes a sense of solemnity. The spatial arrangement is striking. Figures are grouped around a table, yet there is a distinct foreground where an active scene unfolds, possibly depicting Judas leaving. This division creates a visual tension, pulling our eyes between the central event and its immediate aftermath. The artist’s loose, gestural lines add to the emotional intensity, capturing fleeting moments of realization and betrayal. Benso employs a semiotic language where gestures and positions become key signs. The gathering at the table, traditionally a symbol of unity, is destabilized by the actions at the right, creating dissonance. This challenges the fixed meaning of the Last Supper, presenting it as a moment of crisis and separation rather than harmony. The sketch's raw, unfinished quality invites us to consider how these elements, formal and narrative, converge to produce a complex meditation on faith, doubt, and human frailty.