Artist’s biography (due Friday, Sept. 9).

In an essay of around 300 words (about one page, 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins) write a biography of the well-known artist or architect whose name you drew in class.

Be sure to explain what is known about his or her early life and training, career, and influence on subsequent artists or architects, as well as listing a selection of famous works by the artist or architect. You should mention at least three and no more than five works of art or buildings.
 
A good biography does not only recite facts in order – a good biography offers both facts and interpretation. For example, it is not enough to say "Van Gogh was a great artist. Van Gogh was insane and committed suicide." You might instead write: "Van Gogh had problems with mental illness in the last five years of his life. Though he was institutionalized off and on in the 1880s, he produced remarkable landscapes and portraits, including several of his doctor, Dr. Gachet. Van Gogh treats his doctor sympathetically in the portrait, which may show that he was working with the doctor to recover from his difficulties."

A good resource for this kind of project is The Dictionary of Art, a multi-volume work in the Reference section of the Library (call number: REF’ N31 .D5 1996; also available online through the Library’s website, as the database Grove Art Online). Please cite any sources used for this assignment, using footnotes or parenthetical references, and one of the reference systems described in A Short Guide to Writing about Art.