An Art Critic’s Secret Critique Of Hitler’s Paintings Shown Uncanny Insight

By | August 21, 2019

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Watercolor painting by a young Adolf Hitler. Source: (upi.com)

Like other world leaders—George W. Bush, Winston Churchill, Jimmy Carter, Francisco Franco, and Queen Victoria, to name a few—Adolf Hitler enjoyed painting. In fact, his first career choice was not a Nazi dictator; it was an artist. In his youth, he was a prolific painter and hoped to be accepted into the prestigious Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. His portfolio, however, was rejected, leaving Hitler disappointed, frustrated, and angry, and perhaps, more messed up than he previously was. You can tell a lot about an artist from the works they produce, and these proved true for Hitler. Some sixty years after his death at the end of World War II, a well-respected art critic was shown Hitler’s work but not told who painted them. This critic’s evaluation of the fuhrer’s art was surprisingly accurate. Let’s look at Hitler, the frustrated artist. 

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Buildings and architecture were common themes in Hitler's paintings. Source: (allthatsinteresting.com)

Hitler the Artist

Even as a child, young Adolf Hitler stated that he wanted to be an artist. His strict and loveless father refused to consider this career choice. He tried to stifle Hitler’s artistic ambitions and enrolled him in a technical school. Hitler’s father died a few years later but Hitler finished the school’s program and, although he was a lackluster student, he graduated in 1905.