Hitler's Austrian Roots: Painting To Dictatorship

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. Before his rise to power, Hitler dreamed of becoming an artist and pursued painting in his youth. He moved to Vienna in 1908, where he made a living as a professional artist, producing hundreds of works, though with little commercial success. Hitler was rejected twice by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, which he claimed struck him as a bolt from the blue. He continued to paint after moving to Munich in 1913, and even during his service in World War I, where he carried fine paper and canvas with him to the front. While Hitler allegedly ordered the collection and destruction of his artwork when he gained power, several hundred paintings are known to survive and continue to be sold at auctions for tens of thousands of dollars.

Hitler's early life in Austria

Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (present-day Austria), near the German border. He was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler and his third wife, Klara. Hitler's father, Alois, was a mid-level customs official. Born out of wedlock to Maria Anna Schickelgruber in 1837, Alois Schickelgruber had changed his name in 1876 to Hitler, the Christian name of the man who married his mother five years after his birth.

Hitler's early life was marked by conflict with his strict father, who wanted him to join the civil service. Hitler, on the other hand, dreamed of becoming an artist. In 1907, Hitler took the entrance exam for the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts but was rejected due to his unsatisfactory drawing skills. That same year, his mother, whom he was devoted to, passed away from breast cancer.

In 1908, Hitler moved to Vienna, the glamorous capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There, he pursued his dream of becoming an artist, making a living by selling small oil and watercolour paintings of Vienna's landmarks. However, he struggled financially and often lived in homeless shelters. During his time in Vienna, Hitler was exposed to racist and antisemitic rhetoric, which influenced his worldview. He also developed a passion for architecture and music, frequently attending opera performances.

In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich, Germany, to avoid arrest for evading his military service obligation in Austria. He continued to support himself through his artwork, selling scenes of Munich's landmarks. However, his artistic pursuits came to an end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Despite initially being deemed unfit for service, Hitler voluntarily enlisted in the Bavarian Army. During the war, he was decorated for bravery and was wounded on multiple occasions.

Hitler's experiences in Vienna and Munich during his early adulthood, particularly his exposure to racist and antisemitic ideology, played a significant role in shaping his worldview and political beliefs. His frustration with his failed artistic career and the humiliation of defeat in World War I further contributed to his radicalisation and rise as a political leader.

Hitler's rejection from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts

Adolf Hitler grew up in a small Austrian town near the German border. He did not want to follow in his father's footsteps and become a civil servant, so he decided to pursue a career in art. However, his plans were derailed when he was rejected by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. This rejection had a significant impact on Hitler's life and future endeavours.

Hitler's interest in art began at a young age, and he was determined to make a career out of it. In 1907, at the age of 18, he took the entrance exam for the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. He passed the preliminary portion of the exam, which involved drawing iconic or Biblical scenes. However, his portfolio, which he had prepared in advance, was deemed unsatisfactory by the admissions committee. They noted that his works contained too few heads and suggested that he had more talent in architecture than in painting.

Devastated by the rejection, Hitler moved to Vienna in 1908 after the death of his mother. He continued to pursue his artistic interests and made a living by selling small paintings and postcards of Vienna's landmarks. However, he struggled to make ends meet and often moved between cheap rented rooms and homeless shelters. During this time, he also developed an interest in politics and began to form his antisemitic views, which would later become a central tenet of his ideology.

In 1908 and 1909, Hitler applied to the Academy of Fine Arts again but was rejected both times. These repeated rejections dealt a significant blow to Hitler's ambitions as an artist. Despite his struggles, he continued to sell his paintings and even gained a few loyal customers. However, his progress came to a halt in 1914 when he was tracked down by the Munich police for failing to register for the military draft.

While Hitler's artistic career did not pan out as he had hoped, his paintings have nonetheless generated significant interest and controversy. Some consider his works to be quite good, while others criticise them as lacking in originality and technical skill. Several hundred of his paintings are known to survive, and they continue to fetch high prices at auctions, despite the ethical concerns surrounding their sale.

Hitler's early artwork and style

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. After his mother's death in 1908, Hitler left his hometown of Linz and moved to Vienna, where he pursued his dream of becoming an artist. However, his early attempts at establishing himself as an artist were marked by rejection and financial struggles.

Hitler twice failed the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts entrance exam, once in 1907 and again in 1908, despite having passed the initial exam in 1907. His drawing skills were deemed "unsatisfactory" by the admissions committee, and one instructor suggested he pursue architecture instead. Hitler was unwilling to return to secondary school, which would have been necessary for him to apply to the academy's School of Architecture.

During his time in Vienna, Hitler made a meagre living by selling small oil and watercolour paintings of Vienna's landmarks, often copied from postcards, to tourists and frame sellers. He also had several loyal buyers, including the Jewish store owner Samuel Morgenstern, who was one of his most loyal patrons. Hitler's interest in politics also developed during this time, influenced by Vienna's then-mayor, Karl Lueger, who was known for his antisemitic rhetoric.

Hitler continued his artwork after moving to Munich in 1913, selling similar scenes of the city's landmarks. He eventually found several well-off customers who commissioned works from him. However, his art career came to an end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, when he enlisted in the military.

Hitler's early artwork primarily consisted of small oil and watercolour paintings, often copied from postcards, depicting buildings and landmarks in Vienna and later, Munich. He also painted his first self-portrait in 1910 at the age of 21. His preferred subject was architecture, which he represented using a mix of conventional styles, primarily drawing from Greco-Roman classicism, the Italian Renaissance, and Neoclassicism. He was influenced by artists such as Rudolf von Alt, who he considered his greatest teacher, and Eduard von Grützner, a genre painter of Bavarian monks.

Hitler's early artistic style has been described as that of a "moderately ambitious amateur", lacking in rhythm, colour, feeling, and spiritual imagination. He struggled to draw people, and his works often showed a lack of interest in human subjects. However, one modern art critic did offer some praise, stating that Hitler's paintings were "quite good" despite the different style in which human figures were depicted.

Hitler's collectors and patrons

Adolf Hitler grew up in Braunau am Inn, a small Austrian village near the German border. He moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1908, where he pursued a career in art. Hitler had twice been rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, and he struggled to sell his artwork. He made a meagre living by selling small paintings of Vienna's landmarks to tourists and frame-sellers.

In Vienna, Hitler's artwork was supported and purchased by Jewish buyers, including businessman Samuel Morgenstern and lawyer Josef Feingold. Morgenstern was Hitler's business partner and one of his most loyal buyers. Josef Feingold, a client of Morgenstern, bought a series of Hitler's paintings depicting old Vienna. Hitler's patrons in Vienna were instrumental in allowing him to pursue his artistic ambitions, as the income from these sales allowed him to move out of homeless shelters and into more respectable living quarters.

In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich, where he continued to paint and sell watercolours of local tourist sights. He found several loyal, well-off customers who commissioned works from him. Hitler's patrons in Munich included wealthy individuals such as Edwin and Helene Bechstein, a couple from a wealthy aristocratic family who sold pianos. These patrons provided financial support that enabled Hitler to sustain his artistic endeavours.

In the 1920s, Hitler gained financial support from a wider network of wealthy benefactors and party sympathisers. Iconic American car maker and antisemite Henry Ford was one of his foreign supporters. Additionally, Ruhr steel barons Fritz Thyssen and Gustav Krupp donated almost five million Reichsmarks to the Nazi Party during the war. This influx of financial support from patrons and donors contributed to Hitler's rise to power and allowed him to fund his personal projects.

Hitler's destruction of his own artwork

Adolf Hitler, born in a small Austrian town near the German border, dreamed of becoming an artist. After dropping out of secondary school, he moved to Vienna in 1908 and began selling his artwork. However, his dreams were dashed when he was rejected by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Despite this setback, Hitler continued to pursue his passion for art, producing hundreds of works during his time in Vienna from 1908 to 1913.

Hitler's preferred subjects were architecture and landscapes, which he represented using conventional styles and techniques. He drew inspiration from Greco-Roman classicism, the Italian Renaissance, and Neoclassicism. However, his work was often criticised as lacking creativity and being mere copies of other artists' works.

As Hitler's political ambitions grew, he began to view his artwork as mere "subsistence work". He even went as far as attempting to collect and destroy his early paintings when he rose to power. He appointed Peter Jahn to locate and buy his early paintings, allegedly to destroy them. However, Jahn sold many of these works, and some were seized by the United States Army and are still held by the US government.

Despite Hitler's efforts, several hundred of his paintings are known to survive, including watercolours and oil paintings. Some of these works have been sold at auctions for tens of thousands of dollars, while others remain in the possession of private individuals. The survival of Hitler's artwork, despite his attempts at destruction, serves as a reminder of his failed artistic ambitions and the destructive path he ultimately chose.

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