Intensive Care Med (2007) 33:567–569 DOI 10.1007/s00134-007-0587-1 EDITORIAL Massimo Antonelli Intensive Care Medicine and the “Cenacle principles” Received: 19 February 2007 Accepted: 19 February 2007 Published online: 9 March 2007 © Springer-Verlag 2007 M. Antonelli (✉) Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Department of Intensive Care and Anesthesiology, Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Largo A. Gemelli, 8, 00168 Rome, Italy e-mail: m.antonelli@rm.unicatt.it Tel.: +39 06 30 15 4889; +39 06 30 15 4990 In 1495 Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by Duke Ludovico Sforza, “il Moro”, to decorate the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with a “Last Supper” (Fig. 1). Although “The Cenacle” (the Last Supper) was a traditional theme used to decorate convent refectories, especially in Florence, Leonardo presented the Fig. 1 The Cenacle (the Last Supper) painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the Refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy subject in a completely innovative form and technique. Not only did he make drastic and imaginative modifica- tions to the layout of the scene; the true novelty was the astounding realism with which he recounted this episode from the Gospels. Leonardo painted “The Last Supper” on a dry wall rather than on wet plaster, so it is not a true fresco. Because a fresco cannot be modified as the Artist works, Leonardo instead chose to seal the stone wall with a layer of pitch, gesso and mastic and then paint onto the sealing layer with tempera. This masterpiece has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1980 and is an exceptional example of human creativity and genius. The visitor is attracted by the magnificent view and gradually notices the precise and concrete details, visible only through careful observation, realizing that every single element of the painting chorally converges the attention straight to the midpoint of the composi- tion. Besides the exceptional artistic value, the observer has the clear perception of Leonardo’s knowledge of