Chapter 1 of 6
Into the Grotto
You're looking into a grotto, and into one of Leonardo's first great experiments. Painted in Milan for a confraternity's altarpiece, this is the earlier of two versions, the one that ended up in Paris rather than the church that ordered it. Four figures settle into a soft pyramid: the Virgin at the apex, the infant John, the Christ child, and a kneeling angel.
There's no gold, no throne, no halo insisting on holiness. Instead, Leonardo dissolves the edges into shadow and lets a watery half-light do the believing for you.
