Rexer: Life and Work: Does Biography Matter?

This chapter I found particularly interesting. Rexer begins by exploring the work of photographer André Kertész who uses his photographs to reflect the emotional depth of certain events in his life. Because of this, his collection of photographs essentially also details his entire life. Through this, Rexer raises the question, "Can we draw meaningful conclusions about the life of any artist from the work?" To me this seemed like a question with a very simple answer: yes. To some extent I always thought that my artwork reflected bits of who I am as an artist. I guess I never really go into my projects with the intention of reflecting my personal life the way that it seems Kertész did, so maybe it's not quite so simple. Rexer mentions that Kertész's ability to be personal through photography didn't always refer to the person behind the camera. Perhaps it is the way in which photography makes the viewer reflect upon their own life or just life in general. To me this seems like the ultimate goal of photography. To make the viewer think and reflect from only one still image.