White led served as a primer in order to seal the stone, as done in wood panel paintings at the time. Because of this, da Vinci was able to easily modify the fresco and give more lighting dynamic. In some areas of the painting, it was discovered that he applied a black color foundation over the white lead. In other areas he mixed white led and tempera and in others he directly applied it onto the primer. The reason for these diverse techniques applied by da Vinci to the mural was to give a maximum color effect in the tempera, such as either enhancing or toning it down and to create light within the painting. Mineral and organic pigments such as azurite, ultramarine, lake, charcoal, and vermillion were added to the egg white-based tempera used in the …show more content…
The technique of chiaroscuro consists on applying a variety of tones with the purpose of creating volume and shape in every object of the painting. From the folding of the fabric of the clothes and tablecloth, to the movement in the hair of every single one of them, this technique of blending tones to create light and shade gives life to the artwork. In the painting, the natural light is coming from the three windows in the background, through which a landscape can be appreciated. This creates background lighting within the painting. In the landscape, the sun is located on the left side of the painting behind a mountain. Given the fact that they were reunited during the evening - for supper, the sun must be located in the West. This means that they are all facing South. It is for that the same reason that light bounces in the right side of the room – the East, and onto the ceiling. In the center of the painting, just where Jesus is portrayed, there is a round light that expands in a soft circular