The Last Supper
© Michael Price Inc.
2004.
Natural & mineral pigments in tempera & oil on linen glued to a wooden panel.
120 x 194.5 cm / 47 x 76.5 ins. Sold.
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The Last Supper - from an historical event to an image of the Anthropos      

The artist worked on “The Last Supper” between 2002 and 2004. Originally, the painting was conceived of as an
historical event. This intention underwent a transformation during the working process partially due the re-reading of
some of C.G. Jung’s collected works especially those related to the Gnostics.

The linked page with details of the painting presents some quotations from Jung's Volume 14, “Mysterium
Coniunctionis” which was instrumental in shaping the development of the content of this Last Supper. Many
different publications and books were consulted including Elaine Pagels fascinating book “Beyond Belief” and “The
Gospel of Mary Magdala” by Karen L. King. Other books such as “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown made
interesting reading, but overlook the central relevance of the archetype.

In her book, King states, “In the Gospel of Mary, being made human means that the Saviour's teaching has led the
disciples to find the Image of the child of true Humanity within. They have grasped the archetypal Image and become
truly Human.” (P. 60)

King’s book was the only one that touched on “the child of true Humanity” referring to “this archetypal form of Man”
(the Platonic Anthropos). C. G. Jung’s much more profound and intellectually challenging exposition of the
archetypal nature of Christ in volume 11 of his collected writings, “Psychology and Religion” states, “It was this
archetype of the self in the soul of every man that responded to the Christian message, with the result that the
concrete Rabbi Jesus was rapidly assimilated by the constellated archetype. In this way, Christ realized the idea of the
self.” (P. 156, published by Routledge and Kegan, London , 1969).

The painting of “The Last Supper” by Michael Price was transformed from the depiction of an historical event into a
part of the drama of the archetypal life of Christ. Although the number of disciples has been kept within the
traditional iconographic framework, the artist has not limited himself to those named in the four Gospels that appear
in the New Testament.        (continued >)