 Repudiating the claim that Schoenberg was "an inevitable historical force", Popper dismissed the idea of wishing to do work "ahead of its time" as "nothing but historicist propaganda" .When referring to the arts, however, the term "historicism" generally denotes something distinctly different from the historicism targeted by Popper's critique.It designates "a style (as in architecture) characterized by the use of traditional forms and elements" , or a style or movement characterized by "regard for or preoccupation with the styles or values of the past", frequently used pejoratively .