In da Vinci's depiction of the Lord's Supper, the "vanishing point" is the representation of Jesus, that is the artistic rendition of Christ's head or more precisely, His right eye. The painter sketched and then painted with a perspective that draws attention to the center of the picture. Yes, other people are in the picture, people seen as conversing or otherwise engaged, disciples having histories familiar to us, their visibility being appreciated or in the case of Judas Iscariot, despised. What makes this painting superb, however, is the appropriate use of perspective, having a vanishing point reflecting right placement on the most important person in the room.
"Vanishing point" according to answers.com is "[T]he point in linear perspective at which all imaginary lines of perspective converge." I prefer to think of the vanishing point geometrically as that which establishes not only what dominates attention, but also the relative placement of everything else to be seen.
Here is how one website attempts to display convergence:
Saints, there is a lot available to draw our attention. Events, personalities, and the problems of this world compete for center-stage of attention. When those spectacular things capture our gaze, our perspective on everything else shifts to fit. This is not good. The solution is to keep the eyes of our heart and mind on Christ Jesus. We must do this so that Christ, the One Who should be most prominent as the defining standard in our lives, can rightly order our perspective on everything else we encounter. That way, Christ Jesus will not get relegated to some peripheral place, inconsequential to our thoughts and actions. We turn to Christ Jesus because He loves us and is made unto us Wisdom, the Wisdom we need to appropriately address every aspect of this life. When we rightly appropriate our lives under the saving grace that Christ Jesus affords, read His Word, taking every thought captive, testing each on the basis of the Holy Bible in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, we may actively maintain right relationship with Him experiencing His divine touch on our vision of the world, no longer seeing "men as trees walking." Just for a moment, returning to the painting of the Lord's Supper, I ask you, Can you imagine what the impact would have been had this artist chosen to have as the vanishing point for this picture, Judas? Just imagine the implications of such a focus.
Saints, we must make sure our focus remains on Christ Jesus, no matter what! Let's let everything else we encounter be viewed only in light of the centrality of Christ Jesus in our lives! With the Light of the World in clear view, all will be able to see the good works accomplished as a consequence of Christ Jesus resident in us, thus giving God the glory.
May the following link minister to us as we conscientiously recalibrate our perspective. May we not only turn but then maintain our eyes upon Christ Jesus. Amen!
---Livvy McDonald :)<><
Post Script:
Proverbs 21:4 warns: "Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin."
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