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The Contemporary Revenge on Notre Dame’s Greatness

The Contemporary Revenge on Notre Dame’s Greatness
A giant crane outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Aug. 19, 2021. Stephane de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images
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Commentary

All great art was contemporary once, but it would be a mistake to conclude from this that therefore some contemporary art must be great. The fact is that there are fallow periods in the history of art—the Golden Age of Dutch painting evaporated with astonishing swiftness—and we are going through just such a fallow period now.

Theodore Dalrymple
Theodore Dalrymple
Author
Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor. He is contributing editor of the City Journal of New York and the author of 30 books, including “Life at the Bottom.” His latest book is “Embargo and Other Stories.”
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