Compare and contrast the above pieces, each of which is of a woman.

The paintings are, I believe, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Henri Matisse's Woman with a Hat.

Both are oils on canvas, and both feature portraits of mature, married women - Mona Lisa was probably Lisa Gherardini, and Matisse's model was his own wife. In terms of aesthetics and meaning, however, the two paintings are very different.

1. Mona Lisa has the famous enigmatic smile and a calm countenance, her hands decently crossed at her chest, her face lines mild and serene, her position dignified. The colors are non-obtrusive. The composition (and the overall effect) is harmonic and becoming of a well-respected lady that is being portrayed.

2. On the other hand, Amélie has a disturbing and disturbed look, with all her lavishness, bright colors, feathers on her hat, smears of paint all over the place. She is obviously a wild and passionate nature, somewhat destructive. Her posture is nonchalant and uncaring, as if she doesn't care about being the center of a traditionally important act of creating a work of art. The painting could never be a room decoration - it is far too expressionistic and non-decent. 

This would be tesserae.