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In his latest edition, Bradley Theodore interprets Leonardo da Vinci’s High Renaissance masterpiece through abstracted strokes of colour. The restless energy of pigment, with Christ at the centre, conveys the charged dynamics of the moment Christ delivers the news of his betrayal to his twelve apostles. Theodore’s thematic interest in mortality, celebrity, and memory through his leitmotif of exposing skeletal forms visually foreshadows Judas’ infamous disloyalty. Exposing layers in this way asks us to peer beneath the surface, expressing the innate characteristics of individuals. Theodore explains that “a skull for me represents a symbol of a person’s spirit. It’s like I’m wrapping someone’s soul around their skeletal system.”
Theodore is known for his self-taught street art practice, particularly his murals and canvases depicting celebrity icons like Anna Wintour, Frida Kahlo and Karl Lagerfeld. In this new edition, he delves into art history through playfully reconfiguring the concept of the mural from the Renaissance to contemporary street art interpretations. The screenprinted spot varnish in this edition emphasises the complexity of Theodore’s layered technique, highlighting the brushstrokes of the figures and the details of the crockery on the table. Nearly 2 metres in length, Theodore’s The Last Supper evokes the presence, stature and dynamism of the iconic scene, reinterpreting it in his signature style.
