On Paintings and Propositions: A New Approach to Syntax in the Visual Arts

Art that is explicitly about art can increase our understanding of syntax in art. Specifically, some works of art about art demonstrate that paintings can be construed as propositions. This article describes four works that do so and shows more generally how paintings and prints can be construed as statements when they are considered in the context of art history. The notion that art can make assertions has significant implications for the understanding of the nature of representation and epistemology.