Ruqayyah Snyder
The term Austrian painter is often used to refer to Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. During his time in Vienna from 1908 to 1913, Hitler supported himself as a professional artist, producing hundreds of works with a focus on architecture. Despite facing rejection from art schools and critics who deemed his work uninspired and lacking in creativity, some of Hitler's paintings have sold for tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. The characterization of Hitler as an Austrian painter is often used sarcastically or ironically, given his infamy as a war criminal and the leader of the Nazi regime.
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What You'll Learn
- Adolf Hitler was an Austrian painter
- Hitler's preferred subject was architecture
- Hitler's paintings have been sold at auctions for thousands of dollars
- Hitler's work has been described as utterly devoid of rhythm, colour, feeling, or spiritual imagination
- Hitler's work has also been described as innocuous and trivial urban landscapes
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian painter
Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945, was an Austrian painter. Before he rose to power, Hitler pursued a career in art. He moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1908, where he intended to study art. However, he was rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts, and he spent the next few years moving from one rented room to another, even living in a homeless shelter for a period.
Hitler had dreamed of becoming an artist since his youth, and his mother is said to have encouraged him in his artistic endeavours. However, his father, Alois, was against the idea and wanted Hitler to pursue a more stable career. Despite his father's wishes, Hitler moved to Vienna after his mother's death in 1907. Although he was initially unsuccessful in his artistic pursuits, he eventually began earning money by selling small oil and watercolour paintings of Vienna's landmarks, which he copied from postcards. He supported himself by selling these paintings to tourists and frame-sellers, and he continued to study in his free time.
Hitler's preferred subjects were architecture and cityscapes, and he often worked in watercolour. He produced hundreds of works during his time in Vienna, but he had little commercial success. His paintings were described as "innocuous and trivial urban landscapes," and it was suggested that he pursue architecture instead of pure art. Despite his lack of commercial success, Hitler continued to paint after moving to Munich in 1913, selling similar scenes of the city's landmarks. He even found several loyal, well-off customers who commissioned works from him. However, his art career came to an end in 1914 when he enlisted in the military after the outbreak of World War I.
In the decades that followed, Hitler's failed art career became part of the myth-making that helped drive his rise to power. While some have described his paintings as lacking in artistic merit, others have suggested that they provide insight into his inner psyche. Many of Hitler's works were destroyed by members of the Nazi regime, either under his orders or after his death. Those that remained were sold at auctions or seized by the United States Army, and they continue to be a touchy subject, with many considering it immoral to buy and sell them.
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Hitler's preferred subject was architecture
The Austrian painter in question is Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. During his time in Vienna (1908–1913), Hitler made a living as a professional artist and produced hundreds of works, but he had little commercial success. Indeed, his application to the Vienna Academy of Art was rejected twice, in 1907 and 1908. He also applied to the School of Architecture but was not accepted.
Hitler's watercolours often show detailed attention to architecture in contrast to the conventional and negligent treatment of plants and trees that often frame the subject. In 1936, after seeing the paintings Hitler submitted to the Vienna art academy, American journalist John Gunther wrote, "They are prosaic, utterly devoid of rhythm, colour, feeling, or spiritual imagination. They are architect's sketches: painful and precise draftsmanship; nothing more. No wonder the Vienna professors told him to go to an architectural school and give up pure art as hopeless."
Hitler himself believed that form follows function and wrote against "stupid imitations of the past". The official Nazi style is distinguished by the impression it leaves on viewers. Architectural style was used by the Nazis to deliver and enforce their ideology. Formal elements like flat roofs, horizontal extension, uniformity, and the lack of décor created "an impression of simplicity, uniformity, monumentality, solidity and etern [ity]".
Hitler was fascinated by the Roman Empire and its architecture, which he imitated with a stripped-down style called "starved neo-Classicism". In 1934, he put Albert Speer in charge of building construction and began an ambitious program to create massive public buildings, including a Führermuseum in Linz, Austria. As early as 1925, before he had ever visited Rome, Hitler produced a sketch for an imperial “palace of the people” that aped the design, while outdoing the scale of Rome’s Pantheon. He held onto that architectural rendering and gave it to Speer in 1934 as inspiration for Hitler’s grandiose vision of a Volkshalle (“hall of the people”) or Grosse Halle (“grand hall”).
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Hitler's paintings have been sold at auctions for thousands of dollars
Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, was also a painter. During his time in Vienna from 1908 to 1913, Hitler earned his living as a professional artist, producing hundreds of works, but with little commercial success. He primarily worked with watercolours, focusing on his love of architecture. However, his works were described as "innocuous and trivial urban landscapes", lacking rhythm, colour, feeling, or spiritual imagination.
Despite the criticism, a market exists for Hitler's paintings, with some fetching substantial sums at auctions. In 2009, Mullock's of Shropshire sold 15 of Hitler's paintings for a total of £97,672 (US$102,239). The same year, 13 works were sold at a British auction for $143,000, and a watercolour sold for around $161,000 to a Middle Eastern buyer. In 2012, a mixed-media painting sold at auction in Slovakia for €32,000.
The highest price for Hitler's paintings was achieved in 2015 when 14 watercolours and drawings attributed to a young Hitler sold for $440,000 (approximately €391,000) at the Weidler auction house in Nuremberg. A watercolour of Neuschwanstein Castle by Hitler was sold for €100,000 to a Chinese buyer at the same auction. These works, created between 1904 and 1922, reflect Hitler's early attempts at a career in art before his rise to power.
While some view Hitler's paintings as collectible conversation pieces, others consider them war memorabilia or pro-Nazi paraphernalia. The auctioning of Hitler's artwork remains controversial, and the US government has declined to exhibit the paintings in its possession, seized at the end of World War II.
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Hitler's work has been described as utterly devoid of rhythm, colour, feeling, or spiritual imagination
Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, was also a painter. During his time in Vienna from 1908 to 1913, he worked as a professional artist, producing hundreds of works, though with little commercial success. His paintings have since been sold at auctions for tens of thousands of dollars.
Hitler's work has been described as "utterly devoid of rhythm, colour, feeling, or spiritual imagination". John Gunther, an American journalist and author, wrote in 1936 that Hitler's paintings were "prosaic" and "painful and precise draftsmanship; nothing more". The directors of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, who rejected Hitler's application, noted that he struggled to draw people.
Henry Grosshans, in his 1983 book "Hitler and the Artists", described Hitler's work as "dated, stiff, and with little to commend them save the curiosity aroused by our knowledge of their creator .... [T]here is no life in the work, and these buildings, parks, and monuments are stale and stilted."
Vienna art historian Birgit Schwarz said Hitler "had no style of his own as a painter, but generally just copied", while a modern art critic, unaware of the paintings' origins, found them "technically competent but noted a stark contrast in the style of the human figures, indicating a profound lack of interest in people."
Hitler's preferred subject was architecture, which he represented using a mix of conventional styles, copying from the Italian Renaissance, Neoclassicism, and Greco-Roman classicism. He admired the technical ability and comprehensible symbolism displayed by these artistic movements.
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Hitler's work has also been described as innocuous and trivial urban landscapes
The Austrian painter refers to Adolf Hitler, who was a dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. Hitler's work has been described as "innocuous and trivial urban landscapes" by Sergio Salvi in a report titled "The Water Colours of Hitler: Recovered Art Works Homage to Rodolfo Siviero".
Hitler's work has also been described as "utterly devoid of rhythm, color, feeling, or spiritual imagination" by John Gunther, an American journalist, after seeing the paintings Hitler submitted to the Vienna Art Academy. Henry Grosshans, in his book "Hitler and the Artists", described Hitler's work as "dated, stiff, and with little to commend them save the curiosity aroused by our knowledge of their creator". He further noted that "there is no life in the work, and these buildings, parks, and monuments are stale and stilted."
Hitler himself considered architecture to be his true calling and came to regard painting as "mere subsistence work". He had a strong preference for classical styles and believed that art should embody an inner racial ideal and be comprehensible to the average man. He drew inspiration from Greco-Roman classicism, the Italian Renaissance, and Neoclassicism, and his preferred subjects were landscapes and architecture.
Hitler's work as a painter has been the subject of much discussion and varying opinions. While some describe his work as lacking artistic merit, others acknowledge his attention to detail, especially in his representation of architecture. Despite his aspirations to become a professional artist, Hitler's application to the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was rejected twice, and he was encouraged to pursue architecture instead.
Hitler's interest in architecture continued throughout his life and influenced his policies as a dictator. He believed that form follows function and wrote against "stupid imitations of the past". He favoured a stripped-down style of neoclassicism, which can be seen in the designs of Albert Speer, who was put in charge of building construction in 1934. Hitler also had a vision for a monumental Volkshalle or Grosse Halle, which was designed to inspire awe and emphasize the power of the Nazi state.
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Frequently asked questions
The Austrian painter is a reference to Adolf Hitler, who was an Austrian-born dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945.
Hitler was a self-taught painter and produced hundreds of works, but he had little commercial success. He worked primarily with watercolours and his preferred subjects were architecture and urban landscapes.
A number of Hitler's paintings were recovered after World War II and have since been sold at auctions for tens of thousands of dollars. Others were seized by the United States Army and remain in the possession of the US government.
