Piero Della Francesca never got the credit he deserved. Much of his work was either destroyed or lost. After his death, many of his papers were stolen and published under the name of his student, Fra Luca dal Borgo. Yet, through the work that survives, it is clear he was a genius. Flagellation, painted in 1448, incorporated Piero's mathematical expertise in his use of perspective. His use of vanishing points to show distance was a totally new, innovative concept. While other artists were painting flat, stage-like artwork, Piero managed to add perspective and detail while still maintaining a calm monumental style,

This version of Flagellation is unique, mainly due to the position of Jesus. While he is front and center in the other versions, Piero paints him into the background. The subject of the painting seems to be the three men in the front, not Jesus. Art historians differ on their interpretations of this. Some say the front three are the duke or Urbino and his assassins, while others claim that it's the Byzantines and the Ottoman Turks. I personally think its meaning is religious, but it widens the focus of the painting to include the bystanders who sat passive while Christ suffered. If it looks like Jesus, it's probably Jesus.