It is fundamental that you be able to identify what you like better between two works and articulate why in terms of the formal qualities of painting: composition, drawing, value, light, edge, atmosphere, line, shape, color, color temperature, color intensity, etc., etc.

There are several variations on the kinds of comparisons you could make: comparing the work of two different artists, comparing two different paintings by the same artist, comparing two different paintings of the same subject by the same artist, or comparing one artist’s (or student’s) copy of another artist.

Below is a comparison of a drawing by Raphael which he then turns into a painting (and will later be made into a tapestry).

Do you prefer one than the other?  Or are they both equally satisfying? Why?