Andrew Kay is stunned by the Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery

Once an art student, always an art student, as you can tell from the way I dress. But it goes further than that, and my love of art continues to this day. Which is why I made my way to see the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at The National Gallery in London.

“A foot, tiny, delicate… quite simply stunning and alone, worth every penny of the ticket price”

Currently vying for the position as hottest ticket in town I arrived early for a pre-booked slot, an essential if you want to avoid the massive queues. But even if you queue the wait is more than worthwhile. Pulling together the most extraordinary collection of his work, from major paintings to incredible drawings, this exhibit is very impressive.

Of course, with an exhibition this popular it is bound to be crowded, but the numbers are well managed and I pretty soon found a way to really enjoy the work. With the majority of lookers focusing on the major paintings I dedicated my time to studying the beautiful drawings and notebooks. Studies for drapery, hands and faces, musings on the concepts of beauty and of ugliness, detail upon detail, measurement upon measurement, all showing how this extraordinary man’s mind focused on the creation of his art.
I was also struck by the timeless quality of the faces that he painted; the technique and skill is stunning and very much of the time but some of the portraits could have been captured today.

In the upper gallery a large copy of ‘The Last Supper’ holds the attention of the crowd, and it is an impressive piece of work. But for me the beauty is in the detail, and around the room the annotated studies attributed to being working drawings for the finished painting are fascinating and amongst some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. In particular a foot, tiny, delicate and covered in measurements. It appears to have been a study for the foot of Christ but it doesn’t matter, it is quite simply stunning and alone, worth every penny of the ticket price.

Leonardo, ‘Painter At The Court Of Milan’, runs at The National Gallery until 5 February 2012 www.nationalgallery.org.uk