Beethooven? I see it is in the title of the original article, but the text has it right.
I think we know who we are. Great men of our culture help to put it into words (and sometimes they are correct).
In no way would I credit the artsy-fartsies with this self-defining accomplishment stated in the article. Instead, I'd credit Clint Eastwood, who said: "A man's got to know his limitations", "Do you feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?", or Fred Gwynne asking: "What's a yute?", or John Travolta saying: "But bacon tastes GOOD, porkchops taste GOOD."