Art

Leonardo began this painting in 1948 as an altar-piece for the church of San Donato a Scopeto. He had finished the underpainting sketch within a year and the altar-piece was due for completion after a total of two and a half years. The time wasn't very much for such an intricate work of art.

In this painting, Leonardo's mathematical mind can be seen at work. The underpainting sketches are perfect for this view. Clearly he had geometrically planned out his work incorporating the flat plane for a floor and steps etc... It is interesting to note how Leonardo not only incorporated the geometric realm but brought the artistic pre-sketches into his created 3d-space.