It's Art, But Is It Photography? Robert Smithson's - Uturn.org

Sounding the N–I-K-O-M-A-T (1973) Lew Thomas
A: Gotcha. I think. [Scratches his head.]
a) X works in the photographic medium;
b) X uses the photographic medium;
c) X’s medium is photography.
B: Now in sentence ‘a’ the key word is ‘in’ and is employed as an indication of situation,
action, and manner. In sentence ‘b’ the word ‘uses’ is defined as ‘employs for some
purpose.’ [Intensity and vigor; seems spellbound by his own ideas, a twinkle in his eyes.]
In the last statement the copula ‘is’ serves to establish an identity between medium and
photography and ‘X’. Basically, the denotation of the last sentence is the meaning contained
in the first two. However, while the final proposition is precise and emotionally neutral, the
propositions ‘a’ and ‘b’ are evocative on a connotational level. Sentence ‘a’ suggests a more
committed and deeper involvement in photography than ‘b,’ since the spatial aspect of the
meaning of ‘in’ is carried into the meaning of the sentence. The word ‘uses’ in ‘b’ has
overtones of utility, or even abuse. The connotation of ‘b’ suggests less respect and
involvement with the medium. [Resolute, he strokes the air with his pen as he speaks, then
cuts it with emphatic gestures of his right hand.] Both ‘a’ and ‘b’ have connotations that
distort the actual denotation lurking in the sentences, which is made explicit in the last
proposition ‘c.’ But at the level of denotation all three sentences mean the same, and no real
distinction should be drawn between them. [Then finishes with a distinct note of triumphant
emphasis.] Q. E. D. . . . So much for Czarnecki’s quip.
A: An Analytic Philosopher in desert drag! A Carnap napping in his car as he sojourns
through the Southwest. [He exudes self-satisfaction.]
Hugunin/10