ABSTRACT
In order to express something, it is not necessary that the artist be possessed by or in possession of that something at the time of executing the work. Beliefs can be imagined, emotions recollected in tranquillity. A work can express something without being a symptom, an effect, an index, of the artist's having such-and-such a belief or being affected by such-and-such an emotion. According to Richard Wollheim the answer involves recognizing that the possibility of artistic expression is built on the natural ability to perceive things as expressive, even when they express nothing. The artist is guided by his or her own sense, as a spectator, of what it is their work will be perceived as expressing. As with representation, the standard of correctness for expression is set by the artist's intention. The concept of expression is clearly related to that of 'Self-Expression' and to expressionism as an artistic movement.
