On art and artists — Themes and Context

The Polemical Opening: Art's Mission vs. Aestheticism

Nordau begins by attacking the notion that art exists solely for beauty. He calls this theory 'false' and a 'hallmark of crass ignorance,' arguing that psychology and history prove art has always served a purpose beyond itself. He traces artistic creation to an 'exceptional sensitiveness' that demands liberation through movement or expression. For the average person, weeping or laughing suffices; for the artist, the emotion must be shaped into a work that communicates to others. This psychological framework allows Nordau to dismiss the l'art pour l'art movement as a denial of art's true function. He insists that even the most subjective creation carries an implicit social dimension, because it arises from a need to externalise inner states. The opening chapter thus establishes a combative tone, positioning the author as a defender of art's ethical and communal responsibilities against what he sees as a decadent retreat into formalism.

Puvis de Chavannes: A Deliverer from Naturalism

In his chapter on Puvis de Chavannes, Nordau presents the painter as a corrective to the naturalism that dominated French art in the 1870s and 1880s. He describes naturalism as 'the negation of all art,' a soulless copying of reality that left the public dissatisfied despite critical praise. Puvis de Chavannes offered an alternative: wall-paintings that revived symbolism, sacred legend, and tradition. Nordau writes that before his pictures 'one could once more dream'—they were 'verse' after 'prose.' Yet Nordau is not uncritical. He notes that in a period of idealism, Puvis would have been merely 'one of the many,' his work marked by 'banality of symbols' and 'impersonality.' The essay balances admiration for Puvis's role as a 'file-leader' against a recognition of his limitations. This nuanced assessment shows Nordau's willingness to praise a corrective trend while still applying his own rigorous standards.

Eugène Carrière and the Art of the Future

Nordau devotes a chapter to Eugène Carrière, whom he elevates as a model for painting's future. He argues that Carrière goes beyond depiction to 'paint souls' and 'feelings,' using fugitive movements, poses, and lines that reveal unconscious moods. The artist's task, in Nordau's view, is to be an 'inspired eye' that selects and interprets, not a 'mechanically reproducing, dead object-glass.' Carrière's work becomes 'an anthology of vision,' where personality is the source of fascination and value. Nordau predicts that painting will evolve toward this 'spiritual art,' where the artist's emotional excavation of optical phenomena takes precedence over mere representation. This section crystallises Nordau's ideal: art that discloses the impulses behind movement and deportment, making 'the inexpressible become an incident.' It is a direct application of his psychological theory to a specific painter, showing how his abstract principles translate into concrete aesthetic preferences.

Diction and Argument: Nordau's Rhetorical Style

Nordau's prose is marked by strong evaluative language and a confrontational stance. He does not hesitate to call a work 'abominable' or a theory 'worthless.' His sentences often build a case through contrast: naturalism versus idealism, prose versus verse, the average man versus the exceptional artist. He uses rhetorical questions and direct addresses to the reader, as when he writes 'Let no one say: “These are trivialities.”' This combative tone serves his argumentative purpose, framing art criticism as a battle between truth and error. Nordau also employs a scientific vocabulary drawn from psychology and physiology, referring to 'psychical processes,' 'glandular activity,' and 'experimental laboratory.' This blend of polemic and pseudo-science gives his essays a distinctive voice—authoritative, impatient, and deeply engaged. Readers should attend to how Nordau's diction itself enacts the mission he demands of art: it is never neutral, always purposeful, and unashamedly partisan.

Nordau's essays reward readers who enjoy strong, opinionated criticism grounded in a coherent system of values. He is not a neutral guide but a polemicist who forces you to take sides. The book is best approached as a document of early twentieth-century aesthetic debate, where psychological theory meets sharp judgments on individual artists. Pay attention to how Nordau's vocabulary—'degeneration,' 'mission,' 'soul'—shapes his evaluations, and consider whether his criteria still hold relevance for contemporary art discourse.