Why didn't Leonardo da Vinci paint a halo around Jesus' head?

With a completely different drawing style compared to other works with the same theme, the famous masterpiece The Last Supper painted by Leonardo da Vinci contains the author's own intention.

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Photo: Wikipedia.

Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper contains a subtle implication that sets it apart from previous paintings of the same subject, which always depicted Jesus and his apostles as saints. In his work, da Vinci treats them as ordinary people and implies that Jesus also experienced death.

According to Smithsonian Channel, there were countless depictions of Jesus and the 12 apostles before da Vinci's work was created in the 15th century. All have one thing in common: a halo surrounding the head of Jesus and his apostles. In da Vinci's version, not only the apostles, but even Jesus himself is not depicted with a halo.

A 14th-century painting depicting Jesus and his apostles with halos around their heads. Photo: Electa UIG.

According to Mario Taddei, a da Vinci expert in Milan, Italy, who has spent 15 years analyzing the painting, the people depicted in da Vinci's painting are not gods but ordinary men. The artist also implied that Jesus also experienced death like ordinary people.

"There is nothing surreal or supernatural about the last supper. Leonardo wants to show us that the 13 men in the painting are just ordinary people," Taddei explains.

According to VNE