art as an expression?

we all know that art is extremely subjective. but when you use art as an expression, how does one judge the art then? is it through the degree of emotion that is felt when one views the artwork? by how well the artist has managed to portray his/her emotions through the art?

i think emotion plays a big role in producing art. when one feels a certain way one usually acts a certain way. and when this happens, the art also conforms the same way. one good example would be frieda kahlo. with all her negativities in life she cannot help it by showing it in her artwork. all the pain and suffering she has to endure, it has to go somewhere right?

but i cant help but wonder where these artists get their concentration from when theyre under so much negativity. dont they break down when theyre literally re-painting that time of sadness in their lives? does being depressive produce a certain kind of art? a different art perhaps?

i used to think about negative things as well. didnt we all? i used to draw things that people would cringe to look at. like demons and people dying. dark sinister things which i do not even want to think about now lest it brings back all the memories.

then i think, not wanting to think about these things in the past. not wanting to think about the real world, where the real emotions happen. did that make me turn to fantasy art? where everything is surreal and composed? where anything can happen? come to think of it, it does seem like an escape route. a haven to hide from all the unwanted things in life.

having said that. art is making me go on a discovery of self. of my identitiy. it questions me about myself. what am i and what do i do? what is it that i want? maybe this is why we're encouraged to do all those self-portraits.