From a technical point of view, images can be layered such as with photographs in photoshop, or in tangible works using tracing paper or acetate sheet to create artistic compositions. However, this is not the case here and instead it suggests there is a number of different observations being made within the artists work. It appears to be a somewhat sycophantic or obsequious way of saying that the artists work is not just simply an image of whatever the subject matter, but has additional meaning on top of (and therefore layered) its face value.

To confound in this case means to prove wrong or go against what the critics thought. So if critics say that an artists work is not very good, and won't be popular, but actually the artist becomes well respected and their work popular, then it could be said that the artist confounded their critics by succeeding despite their expectations. As for discourse, in this example I would suggest it means discussion and general mood towards art or culture in the timeframe they have referenced. So in other words, despite Wyeth moving away from popular and mainstream art during that period (and therefore not necessarily being discussed as much as those still within the mainstream of art at the time) they were still part of the overall discussion in the art world.

Hi, Yes, the word can be used in this way to suggest a problem, an annoyance at injustice or perhaps more specifically, irritation. So for example, someone might be talking about a colleague and say something like, "the way they always take credit for other people's work really rubs me up the wrong way." Another example being use of the word grate. Although technically this could refer to the action of grating food, or metal covering (like a floor grate) it can also be used to suggest irritation in the same way as rub, in that somebody you know may have an annoying laugh which you might say "is beginning to grate on me."

This may vary depending on whether somebody is from the UK or USA for example, but I would suggest the following: 1. This relates to lost time. So it could be in a relationship (e.g: "my best friend moved away for a few years to University, but they came back last weekend and we've been playing catch-up ever since" - meaning talking and being friends again as they were before, which they were unable to do whilst the friend was away) or maybe something with money like "Friends of ours bought a house years ago, but my wife and I were still travelling around the world before starting to save for a deposit last month, and we've been playing catch-up ever since" . Catching up is about getting to where you would have been, had time not been lost originally. 2. This is about wanting to speak to someone. Often in private, or if the other person is already busy with something. For example, parents might approach their child's teacher after school one day and say, "we were wondering if we could have a few minutes..." and they would know that they wanted to discuss something with them. 3. Being "in the loop" means being privy to some information, knowing how things are or what the situation is. This could be on a small scale, say a group of friends planning to go out (e.g "I think John mentioned drinks on Friday night, but then Alex said something about lunch on Saturday instead as he might be busy on Friday. I'm not in the loop enough to know") or on a bigger scale like, "The financial markets having been rising recently, but I'm not in the loop enough to know why or where I should have invested."