None of us knows Leonardo but I rather think that if he were around today he would do the very things you have done to his pictures. He would be fascinated by the variations that can be created. He would out Picasso Picasso!
But you know, maybe with his vastly overdeveloped brain power compared to those around him that he did indeed hide so subtly the very things you have extracted.
Wow, what a thought!
Where or what next should you turn your talent toward because I feel sure this should be much more than just a one-off.