From the Painting Guide: This is a strong, very moody portrait, and one I could see someone paying good money for! For a challenge, how about redoing the portrait with a cheerful expression? Remember that it's not only the mouth that smiles when we're happy, but also our eyes.

Things to consider:
Colour: The colours are not solid, one-colour areas, but multilayered and varied, which makes the eye want to linger. Look at how the background colour changes, blending softly from one area another. How the blue on the background is used in the shadow of the neck, and also the dress, creating unity.
Shadows: Look at that beautiful shadow on the neck and clavicle, which has a lovely sense of form and structure. Given the shadow on the neck and nose, however, shouldn't her whole left cheek also be in shadow? The shading on the cheeks and nose as it is gives a slightly abstracted feel to the portrait. This, the harshness of the lines around the mouth and jaw, and the shadow along the centre of the nose fanning out onto the brow, make the wonderfully moody expression and deepened the emotional content of the portrait.