Have you ever tried to imagine the persona of the artist behind the work?  Their look, their age.  What kind of personality do they have: outgoing or shy, maybe?  I have to admit that most of the time when I tried to do that, I failed.  For example, LA sculptor extraordinaire Tim Hawkinson, whose current exhibition at the Getty Museum is getting rave reviews, almost shocked me when I met him for the first time.  He was so quiet and unassuming, almost ordinary.  With his amazingly inventive sculptures and collages defying traditional logic, I expected a mad scientist type with bulging eyes...