Why did the author decide to create that work of art? What is the point they are trying to convey? What are their beliefs? These are questions a reader needs to ask the author to apply expressive theory to whatever they are reading. This theory, conceived during the Romantic period, answers the question of defining art as the unique expression of the artist. Some argue that it is the intention that the author is trying to express that the reader should then try to understand. Others say that it is the author's emotions that constitute the actual content of the work. Emphasizing that it's the author's identity is another way some think a work lets off steam. All in all it depends on the reader and what he deems most important to answer the question of how to determine the meaning of art through expressive language.