Guillaume Babey: Western art history mostly stems from Vasari's "Lives", which was primarily political propaganda to prove modernity in art originated in Tuscany, as to please Vasari's patron and protector, Cosimo di Medici, on his quest to become Duke. Academic interest in art was political from the get-go.

OK besides this below and DEVO coming out of the Kent State massacre, what are other facts you have about the evolution of art / music /etc that wouldn't be obvious if you didn't know but, retroactively, explain and/or illuminate a LOT ?

Reminds me of how almost all the French dadaists and surrealists were WWI veterans of the trenches seriously exploring alternatives to conventional thought and language.

Western art history mostly stems from Vasari's "Lives", which was primarily political propaganda to prove modernity in art originated in Tuscany, as to please Vasari's patron and protector, Cosimo di Medici, on his quest to become Duke. Academic interest in art was political from the get-go.

This reminds me of something I saw about why most classic Classical composers are from what would become Germany. Somebody in a German university figured out they could keep people from questioning their Top 10 List if they framed it as "classics."

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