For some years before the outbreak of World War I, a number of painters in different European countries developed works of art that some have described as prophetic: paintings that by challenging viewers' habitual ways of perceiving the world of the present are thus said to anticipate a future world that would be very different. ███
Other People's View ·Belief that pre-WWI paintings were prophetic
"Prophetic" meaning that they asked viewers to change the way they view the world, like these paintings were prophesying the future world to come.
Other People's View ·These painters anticipated social and political changes
Their break with tradition was so fundamental that some critics credited these artists with having anticipated political and social disruptions of WWI. Huh?
Author's Critique ·The painting's aesthetic innovations are what is most important
The author disagrees with the critics. This makes sense. It's just a weird argument that these renowned painters are remembered for... not their art but rather their social / political prophesies.
Critique or debate passages contain multiple points of view on a particular subject. Sometimes the author takes sides and participates in the critique or debate, other times the author merely reports the debate.