Pictorial Grammar: Chomsky, John Willats, and the Rules of Representation

Abstract

The article discusses the significance of the theories of psychologist John Willats and linguist Noam Chomsky on art theory and art criticism. It emphasizes the adaptation of Chomsky's standard theory by Willats, the focus of standard theory on semantic features and syntactical rules of linguistics, and the perspective of Willats on pictures and pictorial structure. Topics include pictorial grammar, syntax, and the semantic units of a picture. The author also discusses the segmentability of pictures, the work of painter Paul Cezanne, and the concept of innateness.