Zahrt-Tenzin 1

Sonam Zahrt-Tenzin
De Piero
Writing 2
20, January, 2015
Genre Power
Imagine yourself at a formal business meeting. How out of place would you feel if
everyone around you was wearing neat and fitted suits while you were sitting there in your
underwear? Just as it is important to choose the right clothes for a specific occasion, when
writing, it is important to choose the right genre depending on the context. Genre is a concept
that covers a wide spectrum of elements, and because of this, peoples writing can suffer if they
do not possess a certain level of genre mastery. A writers most important job is choosing a genre
that provides them with a set conventions by which they can effectively interact with the
audience and achieve their purpose. People who study genre are able to recognize rhetorical
patterns in media and make conscious use of genre conventions in their work. To demonstrate the
depth at which genre can be studied, three texts will be compared and dissected. The texts will be
from the genre of artist bio. This genre is a means for viewers to gain insight on the artists
history. The artists whose bios are being considered are Larry Fink, Lora Zombie, and Mark
Ryden.
Since the three texts (artist bios) are from the same overall genre, it is expected that they
will have many components that are similar, but it is also likely that there will be differences.
The authors used their knowledge of genres to best produce a work that was acceptable, and as

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individuals each writer may have interpreted conventions in slightly different ways, accounting
for the differences in each piece.
At a first glance you may notice that there are some surface level components that they
have in common. For example they all include dates for important events and/or shows in the
artists life. Also they all seem to be for the most part brief. None of them are longer than three
paragraphs. Another noticeable feature right off, is the use of pictures in the artist on the bios.
Zombies has one picture above and below the written text, Rydens sports no pictures and Finks
has a smaller picture to the left of the text. These things being similar, can be used to make
conclusions about what the conventions in this particular genre are.
Conventions are important tools that writers can employ to improve their ability to
effectively communicate with other people through different genres. Conventions can be thought
of as the rules of genre. Dirk asserts that the rules change as the genre changes [and] that no
rules apply to all genres (Dirk 258). While it is okay to experiment with certain rules, because
genres usually come with established conventions, it is risky to choose not to follow such
conventions (Dirk 258). Many of the authors of the artist bios conform to conventions of the
specific genre.
First of all, they are all written in third person implying that the authors of the bios were
not just the artists themselves praising their own work. Also, all discuss the artists style in some
general way. Rydens, discusses how his techniques [being] reminiscent of the old masters is
achingly beautiful as it hints at darker psychic stuff (Rydens Bio). It is almost completely
about his style and uniqueness. Finks includes an acclaim by Susan Kismaric, Curator of
Photography, The Museum of Modern Art, that hints at the style of his work. Finally, Zombies
indirectly mentions her style by mentioning she is now a top seller on the urban art scene

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(Zombies Bio). This inclusion of the artist styles in an important convention as people in the art
world enjoy being able to classify and communicate the composition of a work.
They also all present the artists artistic qualifications by naming schools attended, or
summarizing their artistic history. Also, related to their qualifications, the authors of the bios
made reference to the galleries and museums that they have been displayed in. Both including
their qualifications and mentioning the museums galleries that they have participated in, gives
the artists credibility in the readers mind as they appear to be established and respected producers
of artistic work. All the conventions covered make the biographies what they are and define the
textual works as part of this particular genre artist website bio.
As a writer when considering ideas like genre and genre conventions, it is imperative to
know who your audience is. By looking at the context of the biographies we can make some
assumptions as to who the audience might be. Since this form of text is found on their website,
an easily accessible resource, it is likely that the purpose of this text is some form of selfadvertisement. It is a form of self-promotion that both builds their ethos by stating their
qualifications and provides information about the person behind the art. Based on the context and
purpose, we can conclude that the audience may include art buyers, supporters, galleries, and
museums; all of whom may want to buy or display their work at a certain point. It is so necessary
to know who the audience is because, all writing is influenced by what you know about and
audiences expectations (Losh & Alexander, 7) and the authors of these bios must try to meet
the audiences expectations in order to most effectively sell the artist and their work.
To best appeal to this audience the authors of the artist bios use style and tone that
reflect the artists in a good light. Overall, the style in all of them is formal and informative and
the tone seems to be that of subtle praise. In Lora Zombies the style appears to be more concise

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than the others. It provides the information that it needs to all in one paragraph. The sentences
transition comfortably from one idea to the next, allowing for the information to be absorbed
logically and effectively. The style in Finks is the most formal out of the three. In his bio the
author uses educated diction to help produce an air of respect and experience. The author also
uses commas to add large amounts of detail in each sentence. Mark Rydens bio is the least
formal. While the diction is still educated, the tone comes off more playful when using phrases
like, dragging a host of followers in his wake (Rydens Bio) and Rydens vocabulary ranges
from cryptic to cute (Rydens Bio). Also, the author tries to create a sense of pride by
descriptively detailing the unique artistic style that Ryden developed. Ultimately the authors
control how the audience sees the artists, through the skillful use of style and tone.
By analyzing this one genre it is clear that there are many different features to consider
when trying to create an effective work of writing. Genre is undoubtedly an important subject to
study as a means of improving writing. When writing, it is helpful to remember all the elements
reviewed in the artist bios. To craft a text that accomplishes its purpose, an understanding how
the purpose relates to the audience, and the ability to put the writing in context are essential. It is
also necessary to manipulate the audiences perception of the information in the writing by using
appropriate tone and style.
Learning how to properly use genre is one of the most powerful tools a writer can gain.
The idea of genre applies to nearly all the different forms of media and because every form of
writing can be categorized by a genre, learning how to correctly follow (and occasionally break)
conventions will help improve all forms of writing. As shown through the examination of the
artist biographies, conventions and rhetorical elements employed can be complex. Through the

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study of genre, it is possible to practice making conscious use of genre conventions to amplify
the effectiveness of a work at achieving its purpose.

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Works Cited
"About." Lora Zombie. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. <http://lorazombie.com/about/>.
"Biography." Fink. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. <http://www.larryfinkphotography.com/bio.html>.
"Biography." Mark Ryden. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. <http://www.markryden.com/index.html>.
Dirk, Kerry. "Navigating Genres." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 1. Parlor, 2010.
258.

Print.

Losh, Elizabeth, and Jonathan Alexander. "Introduction: Spaces For Writing." Understanding
Rhetoric. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 7. Print.