Leonardo da Vinci wasn’t only a painter – he was an architect, botanist, mathematician, and anatomist, to name but a few of his academic pursuits. The Virgin of the Rocks (1483-1494) is a brilliant example of his use of geometry to unite his works; the pyramidal composition created by the figures, with Mary’s head forming the top point and the infant John the Baptist and baby Jesus creating the bottom two corners, guides our gaze from one face to the other. Da Vinci’s study of anatomy is on show in the complex bodies and poses of the children, whose gestures respond to one another, while the rocky arch in the background is almost like a theatre set and covered in plants painted with precision, highlighting the artist’s enthusiasm for botany.