Q. Who was Rachel Ruysch – the painter behind so many gorgeous 18th Century Dutch floral paintings? . A. Born 1664 in the Hague, Ruysch’s colourful life included: ten children, a much coveted position as a court painter, sustained critical and financial success, and a lower profile yet supportive artist

Q. Which instrument creates the bell-like sound we hear in The Nutcracker’s ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’, Harry Potter’s ‘Hedwig Theme’, ‘It’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ from Mister Rogers, and Willy Wonka’s ‘Pure Imagination’? . A. That beautiful bell sound comes from a celeste, or celesta. When

Q. It’s the dream: create a character so riveting that people remember details about them years, even decades later. All the more brilliant if the perfect actor steps into the role with flair and nuance. Who are the movie characters who sit most vividly in your brain? If you were

Q. It’s one of the world’s most recognizable paintings. From the moment that the Art Institute of Chicago put Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic’ on display, visitors were intrigued. What on earth was the story here? What indeed. . . A. The story starts with an Iowa-born artist’s sugar problem… Grant

Q. We know it as the home of Da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’, but what other notable artworks can be found at The Louvre? . A. Not surprisingly, The Louvre is home to some of the most remarkable paintings in the world. Eugene Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading The People. ‘Raphael’s ‘La Belle

Q. Even those of us whose actorly aspirations ended in middle school can remember the stomach-seizing stress of the audition. Nightmares about forgetting you even had an audition, then  being thrust on stage in a spotlit theatre stuffed with professional theatre critics. Finally, the real day comes, they call out

Q. Your fictional hosts are serving you pudding. Should you eat it? . A. Many a literary table has been bedecked with showstopper pudding. ‘Pudding,’ the Oxford Dictionary tells us, is ‘a cooked sweet dish served after the main course of a meal.’ Get ready for ‘a good helping of

Q. Happy Thanksgiving from Canada! What are some examples of Thanksgiving-relevant art from renowned artists? . A. Here are some paintings that are either overtly focused on Thanksgiving or seem to evoke its spirit.   March Avery. Thanksgiving. 1967 . Andries van Bochoven. Portrait of the artist and his family.

Q. What have been some of the most controversial royal portraits over the years? A. This whole business of painting portraits – let alone royal portraits – is not for the faint-hearted. What if your all-powerful subject hates what you create? What if the royal trusts you, likes the portrait,

Q. Those of us who can’t art for beans are most strategic when forced invited to draw or paint. ‘Hmm. What will it be this time? A swirly ‘abstract’ or a circle flower with five petals?’ But what of those gifted visual artists who can create all manner of delights? How