The Barbarian Invasions: A Genealogy of the History of Art (October Books)

**How the history of art begins with the myth of the barbarian invasion--the romantic fragmentation of classical eternity.**The history of art, argues Éric Michaud, begins with the romantic myth of the barbarian invasions. Viewed from the nineteenth century, the Germanic-led invasions of the Roman Empire in the fifth century became the gateway to modernity, seen not as a catastrophe but as a release from a period of stagnation, renewing Roman culture with fresh, northern blood--and with new art that was anti-Roman and anticlassical. Artifacts of art from then on would be considered as the natural product of "races" and "peoples" rather than the creation of individuals. The myth of the barbarian invasions achieved the fragmentation of classical eternity.This narrative, Michaud explains, inseparable from the formation of nation states and the rise of nationalism in Europe, was based on the dual premise of the homogeneity and continuity of peoples. Local and historical particularities became weapons aimed at classicism's universalism. The history of art linked its objects with racial groups--denouncing or praising certain qualities as "Latin" or "Germanic." Thus the predominance of linear elements was thought to betray a southern origin, and the "painterly" a Germanic or northern source. Even today, Michaud points out, it is said that art best embodies the genius of peoples. In the globalized contemporary art market, the ethnic provenance of works--categorized, for example, as "African American," "Latino," or "Native American"--creates added value. The market displays the same competition among "races" that was present at the foundation of art history as a discipline. "How the history of art begins with the myth of the barbarian invasion--the romantic fragmentation of classical eternity. The history of art, argues Éric Michaud, begins with the romantic myth of the barbarian invasions. Viewed from the nineteenth century, the Germanic-led invasions of the Roman Empire in the fifth century became the gateway to modernity, seen not as a catastrophe but as a release from a period of stagnation, renewing Roman culture with fresh, northern blood--and with new art that was anti-Roman and anticlassical. Artifacts of art from then on would be considered as the natural product of 'races' and 'peoples' rather than the creation of individuals. The myth of the barbarian invasions achieved the fragmentation of classical eternity. This narrative, Michaud explains, inseparable from the formation of nation states and the rise of nationalism in Europe, was based on the dual premise of the homogeneity and continuity of peoples. Local and historical particularities became weapons aimed at classicism's universalism. The history of art linked its objects with racial groups--denouncing or praising certain qualities as 'Latin' or 'Germanic.' Thus the predominance of linear elements was thought to betray a southern origin, and the 'painterly' a Germanic or northern source. Even today, Michaud points out, it is said that art best embodies the genius of peoples. In the globalized contemporary art market, the ethnic provenance of works--categorized, for example, as 'African American, ' 'Latino, ' or 'Native American'--creates added value. The market displays the same competition among 'races' that was present at the foundation of art history as a discipline."--Provided by publisher "The history of art, argues Éric Michaud, begins with the romantic myth of the barbarian invasions. Viewed from the nineteenth century, the Germanic-led invasions of the Roman Empire in the fifth century became the gateway to modernity, seen not as a catastrophe but as a release from a period of stagnation, renewing Roman culture with fresh, northern blood—and with new art that was anti-Roman and anticlassical. Artifacts of art from then on would be considered as the natural product of “races” and “peoples” rather than the creation of individuals. The myth of the barbarian invasions achieved the fragmentation of classical eternity. This narrative, Michaud explains, inseparable from the formation of nation states and the rise of nationalism in Europe, was based on the dual premise of the homogeneity and continuity of peoples. Local and historical particularities became weapons aimed at classicism's universalism. The history of art linked its objects with racial groups—denouncing or praising certain qualities as “Latin” or “Germanic.” Thus the predominance of linear elements was thought to betray a southern origin, and the “painterly” a Germanic or northern source. Even today, Michaud points out, it is said that art best embodies the genius of peoples. In the globalized contemporary art market, the ethnic provenance of works—categorized, for example, as “African American,” “Latino,” or “Native American”—creates added value. The market displays the same competition among “races” that was present at the foundation of art history as a discipline." --From publisher's description Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 12 1: From “National Taste” to “Racial Style” 26 Taste to Style: Social and Biological Transmission 35 “As One Man” 44 Races—Peoples—Nations: Interfusion and Confusion 51 Giovanni Morelli: Racial Markers 55 2: Self-Mimesis and Self-Portrait Gods 60 The Invention of the Greek Profile 63 Self-Portrait Gods and Self-Mimesis 79 The Natural Circulus 87 The Physiognomical Principle 96 3: The Barbarian Invasions and the Racialization of Art History 106 Debarbarizing the Barbarians 108 Romantic Inversions 114 “The Long and Obscure Barbarian Incubation” 119 The Kunstwollen of the Germans and Stratified Time 124 4: A New Barbarian: The Artless Jew 132 “An Odious Travesty of the German Spirit” 135 Portraits of Emptiness 138 “This Ugly Little Jew” 145 The Jew as “Destroyer of Culture” 150 A Desert Race 156 5: Barbarian Blood: Heredity and Style 162 Racial and Linguistic Mixing 163 Evolution: From the Ancient Southern Tactility to the Modern Northern Opticality 166 Barbarian Blood and the Origins of Gothic Art 170 Atavism: Survivals and Reawakenings 181 “National Sense of Form” and the Racial Body 188 “Rediscovering the Ancient Peoples in the Moderns”: Constants in Art and the Persistence of Races 196 Epilogue 210 Notes 224 Illustration Credits 268 Index 270