brainstatic:

In every class about art history or literature or film, you’re constantly analyzing works through the lens of not only the artist’s life, but of the their period and place in history. Your teachers will always go “to understand this character you have to know the author’s brother died when he was young” or “this painting was a reflection of the artist’s experiences in World War 2.” It’s only when they turn out to be a rapist do people go “weeellllll I mean you should be able to separate the art from the artist.”