Leonardo da Vinci is famed particularly for the scientific and mathematic genius behind his sketches and paintings. His sketechbooks--aside from being unique in that he always wrote backwards to prevent others from stealing his ideas easily--are filled with stunningly accurate technical designs and anatomical sketches. In fact, although he is known for his art, he regarded himself as first and foremost a scientist and inventor. I would say that it was his openness of mind and experimentation (his misuse of tempera and oil and the disastrous results of that went down in art infamy) that stick out the most, and his work is most memorable for its technical precision.
