tjw quoted At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
Introduction by China MievilleLong acknowledged as a master of nightmarish visions, H. P. Lovecraft established …
We realized, of course, the great decadence of the Old Ones' sculpture at the time of the tunneling, and had indeed noticed the inferior workmanship of the arabesques in the stretches behind us. But now, in this deeper section beyond the cavern, there was a sudden difference wholly transcending explanation - a difference in basic nature as well as in mere quality, and involving so profound and calamitous a degradation of skill that nothing in the hitherto observed rate of decline could have led one to expect it.
— At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, H. P. Lovecraft
There is something eerie about greatness in decline but also this is a manifestation of Lovecraft’s racism. He sees foreign elements brought into a culture as a contagion and thinks of aesthetics as universal and objective. If anything, it’s often a good sign that quality of life is better when a civilization isn’t pouring all its creativity into aggrandizing a hierarchy.