Moving to the singular genius of Leonardo da Vinci, this lecture isolates his formative years in Florence and his initial rupture with the workshop tradition. We will investigate how Leonardo replaced the standard artistic practices of imitation with a radical empiricism, grounding his art in the direct, scientific observation of nature and anatomy. Central to our discussion will be the Adoration of the Magi, an unfinished masterpiece that reveals his revolutionary approach to composition and the psychological unification of figures. By analysing his early use of sfumato and his struggles to complete commissions, we will trace how Leonardo began to redefine the artist’s role from a maker of objects to a philosopher of the visual world.