What separates commentary from self-expression in art?

Commentary is a function of arts which is a form of reproducing the present information in the form of an image or painting. This work of art is not about how the artist perceive the world or the information that is reproduced. In fact, the artist does not utilize what the observation means to him/her. On the other hand, self-expression is a form of how the artist perceives the information that he/she is observing or mentally processing. For example an artist may produce an abstract painting of a war which may not be from an actual happening of war but a representation of the destruction of war as perceived by the artist.

References

Frank, P. (2013). Prebles’ Artforms (11th ed.). Prentice Hall.