MYSTERIES OF THE EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE - HIKARI Ltd

18 History
The equilateral triangle is a recurring motif in Christian Art [222]. Front
and center in this genre is occupied by Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper
(see Figure 1.32). Begun in 1495 and finished in 1498, it was painted on
the rear wall of the Refectory at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
This mural began to deteriorate in Leonardo’s own lifetime. Its most recent
restoration took twenty years and was only completed in 1999. In this great
masterpiece, the body of Jesus is a nearly perfect equilateral triangle symbolizing
the Trinity. The serene calm of this sacred figure anchors the utter chaos
which has been unleashed by His announcement of the upcoming betrayal by
one of the attending apostles. The theme of Trinity is further underscored by
Leonardo’s partitioning of the apostles into four groups of threes.
The role of the equilateral triangle is even more explicit in Jacopo Pontormo’s
1525 painting Supper at Emmaus (see Figure 1.33). Not only is the
figure of Jesus an equilateral triangle but a radiant triangle with a single eye
hovers above Christ’s head. This symbolizes the all-seeing Eye of God with
the triangle itself representing the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the
Son and God the Holy Spirit. This painting portrays the occasion of the first
appearance of Christ to two disciples after His Resurrection.
In Salvador Dali’s 1951 Christ of Saint John of the Cross (see Figure 1.34),
the hands and feet of Our Lord form an equilateral triangle symbolizing Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. It depicts Jesus Christ on the cross in a darkened sky
floating over a body of water complete with a boat and fishermen. It is devoid
of nails, blood and crown of thorns because Dali was convinced by a dream
that these features would mar his depiction of the Saviour. This same dream
suggested the extreme angle of view as that of the Father. The name of the
painting derives from its basis in a drawing by the 16th Century Spanish friar
Saint John of the Cross.
The equilateral triangle was frequently used in Gothic architectural design
[30]. Figure 1.35 presents a transveral section of the elevation of the Cathedral
(Duomo) of Milan drawn by Caesare Caesariano and published in his 1521
Italian translation of Vitruvius’ De Architectura. Caesariano was a student of
da Vinci and one of the many architects who produced designs for the Milan
Cathedral over the nearly six centuries of its construction from 1386 to 1965.
Even though this design was ultimately abandoned, it is significant in that
it is one of the rare extant plans for a Gothic cathedral. It clearly shows
the application of ad triangulum design which employs a lattice of equilateral
triangles to control placement of key features and proportions of components.
This technique is combined with one utilizing a system of concentric circles
[285]. It is clear that the equilateral triangle was an important, although by no
means the only, geometric design element employed in the the construction of
the great Gothic cathedrals. This ad triangulum design principle was adopted
by Renaissance artists, particularly in their sacred paintings.