Avoid writing an encyclopedia entry about the work of art you've selected. Instead, try to brainstorm a particular theme or idea connected to the painting that you might want to explore.

For example, in the above example, Pompeo Girolamo Batoni's Peace and War, you might consider one of the following themes: 

• allegorical use of mythological gods and goddesses
• gender roles (notice his shield above her head, her hand gently resting on his sword, the intensity of their gaze)
• particular symbols (e.g., olive branch, golden lion/ram/dragon, light and shadow, red fabric)
• rococo style in Italian painting