Barbarian Invasions

How the history of art begins with the myth of the barbarian invasion-the romantic fragmentation of classical eternity. The history of art, argues Eric 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.