The Artist & The Work

Does it help or hinder to know too much about an artist’s life when evaluating their works?

I don't think that knowing a lot about the artist biases your opinion, but I prefer to know life aspects about the artist. I can typically get a sense of what the artist was thinking or how they were feeling at the time of the work and that kind of helps me relate. (Also, a little tidbit about me, I love to dissect things, anything, psychologically. If knowing the artist better helps me to do that, excellent!!!) But, like I said, I don't think knowing the whole life inside and out about the artist biases an opinion. You should be able to review any work based on your own judgment, not that of the artist.