Help interpret the Dwarf by Lagerkvist?

So I read the translated version of "Dvärgen" by Pär Lagerkvist as part of a writing class I am taking currently, and noticed interesting and subtle references to the Italian Renaissance in it. I suspected that Bernardo had something to do with Da Vinci, given the Last Supper, and it seems this turned out to be true.

So now, i want to write a research paper for this class based on the presence of the Renaissance in "The Dwarf". Does anyone have any ideas of papers or books, or anything I could read to get a solid idea of my hopeful paper topic?

Any source that seems to link Lagerkvist and the Renaissace would be helpful.
Thank you!