The Geometry of Syntactics, Semantics and Pragmatics: The Concrete Paintings of Anthony Hill

Between 1952 and 1956, the British artist Anthony Hill made a small number of abstract, concrete paintings before turning away from painting entirely. This article focuses on Hill’s semiotic approach to his work, using this to explore the position of the 1952–6 paintings within the post-war cultural context and their hostile relation to art critical discourses at the time.