What Do We “Express” When We Express Ourselves Through Art?

Vase, Bottle and Fruit (1906) by Henri Matisse. Oil on canvas. 73 × 92 cm. State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Dear Reader,

I’ve been thinking recently about what it means for an artist to “express” themselves in their art.

The general assumption is that artists “put something of themselves” into their work, perhaps transferring their inner em…