1. Monday 12/3/2012
Color can be a very expressive quality in art, especially when dealing with portraits. Warm or cool colors can give an impression about the personality of the person being represented.
What do the colors of this image tell us about the personality of the subject? Are there any other clues that help reinforce the color scheme?
Arrangement in Gray and Black: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother James Abbott McNeil Whistler

2. Tuesday 12/4/2012
Many significant artists begin their careers as outcasts of the accepted art establishment. Their style or ideas regarding art may times are not immediately understood but over time gain acceptance.
How is it, do you think, that styles evolve? How are new ideas introduced into a system and how do they become important enough to affect change?
Untitled Keith Haring Modern / Contemporary

3. Wednesday 12/4/2012
Moulin Rouge- La Goulue Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Postimpressionism
Most artists want to utilize their skills and talents for financial benefit. Some traditional artists sell their art independently while other commercial artists work for companies as graphic designers, illustrators or art directors.
Is either avenue of generating income, traditional or commercial, more relevant than the other? Does one have more prestige over the other?

4. Thursday 12/5/2012
Many artists struggle with how to balance the positive and negative spaces in their artwork. Do you fill the negative space with detail that reinforces the subject (positive) space or do you eliminate detail to provide a more direct focus on the subject? Either approach can have a dramatic effect on the overall impact of the artwork on the viewer.
Do you think the white (negative) space makes this a better image than a detailed background would have? Does the lack of a background make you respond to the subject in a different way than you would have normally?
Girl With Ice Cream Cone Wayne Thiebaud Modern / Contemporary

5. Friday 12/6/2012
Many artists throughout history have had successful careers due to the fact that they attached themselves to wealthy or influential patrons. Often they spend most of their career doing work primarily for this one person or group.
Do you see any benefits or draw backs for an artist who works for a single patron? What freedoms or limitations might be placed on the artist?
Napoleon Crossing the Alps Jaques-Louis David Neoclassical