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We all know that Hitler was a terrible dictator, but did you know that he actually applied to art school? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at which art school Hitler applied to, and how his application was ultimately rejected.
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The early years: Hitler’s childhood and youth
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in the small Austrian town of Braunau am Inn. His father, Alois, was a customs official; his mother, Klara, was a housekeeper. As a child, Hitler was withdrawn and moody. When he was six years old, his family moved to Linz, Austria. At first he did well in school but became increasingly rebellious as he grew older. In 1905, Hitler failed his high school entrance exam and did not repeat the grade. This made him eligible for conscription into the Austro-Hungarian Army (he would have preferred to study art). In 1907, Hitler’s father died suddenly at the age of 65; his mother died three years later of cancer. By this time Hitler had quit school and was working as a casual laborer.
Hitler’s failed art career
Adolf Hitler is one of the most notorious figures in history, but few people know that he actually tried to pursue a career in art before he turned to politics. In 1907, at the age of 18, Hitler applied to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts but was rejected twice. It is speculated that his poor academic performance was due to his focus on political issues at the time. Nevertheless, Hitler continued to try to make a living as an artist, selling paintings and postcards of Vienna sights to tourists. However, he was never successful and eventually gave up on his dream of becoming an artist.
The rise of the Nazi party
In 1918, Germany was in a state of turmoil. The country had recently lost World War I, and the government was in shambles. Into this environment came a young man named Adolf Hitler. Hitler was a small-time artist who dreamed of attending the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Unfortunately, his dream was not to be realized; he was rejected by the school twice.
Although he didn’t realize it at the time, these rejections would set him on a path that would ultimately lead to the rise of the Nazi party and World War II. It is impossible to say for sure what would have happened if Hitler had been accepted into art school, but it is clear that his failed dream played a significant role in shaping the course of history.
Nazi ideology and the art world
Many people are familiar with the fact that Adolf Hitler was an artist, but what is less well known is that he actually applied to art school twice and was rejected both times. This may seem hard to believe, given the atrocities he would later commit, but it’s important to remember that at this point in his life, Hitler was not yet a dedicated Nazi; in fact, he didn’t even join the party until after his second rejection from art school.
So which art schools did Hitler apply to? The first was the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna; he was rejected in 1907, ostensibly because his portfolio was considered insufficient. He reapplied in 1908 and was again rejected; this time, the reason given was that he “lacked talent.”
After these two rejections, Hitler seems to have given up on his dream of becoming an artist; instead, he turned his attention to politics and eventually became one of the most reviled dictators in history. It’s interesting to wonder what might have happened if he had been accepted into art school; would he have gone on to become a successful artist, or would he have followed the same path regardless? We’ll never know for sure, but it’s certainly food for thought.
The art of propaganda
While the world associates Adolf Hitler with one of the most nightmarish episodes in human history, it’s easy to forget that he was first and foremost an artist. In fact, he even applied to the prestigious Vienna Academy of Fine Arts twice, and both times he was rejected. It’s safe to say that if he had been accepted, history might have turned out very differently.
But what if Hitler had been a successful artist? Would he still have become a dictator? It’s hard to say, but one thing is certain: his art would have been very different. Instead of using his paintings and sculptures to spread hatred and propaganda, he would have used them to promote his own twisted vision of the world.
Fortunately, we will never know what kind of art Adolf Hitler would have made if he had been accepted into the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. But we can only imagine how different the world would be today if he had been given the chance to share his twisted vision with the world through his art.
The looting of art under the Nazis
The Nazis confiscated hundreds of thousands of artworks from private collectors, museums, and public institutions throughout Europe. They looted the property of Jews and others whom they considered enemies of the state, and even seized works that had been created by artists who were in favor with the regime but whose style later fell out of favor. Some art was sold at public auction to raise funds for the Nazi party, while other pieces were kept by Hitler and other high-ranking officials for their personal collections. Many works of art were destroyed or damaged by the Nazis, either deliberately or as a result of negligence.
The destruction of art under the Nazis
The Nazis did not just burn books. They also sought to destroy all art that they deemed “degenerate.” This included not only works by Jewish artists, but also any art that was modern or abstract or otherwise did not fit into the Nazis’ narrow idea of what was good and proper. In all, they seized and destroyed more than 16,000 works of art.
The “degenerate” artists
In the early 1930s, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party began to scapegoat certain artists and art forms as “degenerate.” This included anything that didn’t fit with their ideal of Aryan perfection or that they saw as Jewish, Bolshevik, or otherwise subersive. These “degenerate” artists were condemned, their work was confiscated from museums, and in some cases they were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
One of the most famous “degenerate” artists was Pablo Picasso. His work was denounced by the Nazis for its supposed Cubist influences, which they saw as a form of Jewish intellectualism. Other artists who were targeted included Wassily Kandinsky, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, George Grosz, Max Beckmann, and Ernst Kirchner.
The Nazi art market
In the early 1930s, the Nazi Party began to exert a strong influence on the art market in Germany. As the party rose to power, it began to buy up artworks that it considered to be “degenerate” and to promote those that it deemed to be “acceptable.” This had a profound effect on the market for art in Germany, as well as on the careers of many artists.
One of the most notable examples is Adolf Hitler’s unsuccessful application to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Hitler applied to the school in 1908 but was rejected. He attribute this rejection, at least in part, to his approval of modern art, which was not in line with the academic style of the time. After he came to power in 1933, Hitler purged the academy of all modern artists, and it was not until after World War II that modern art was once again allowed into the institution.
The Nazi influence on the art market continued throughout the war years, as the party confiscated artworks from Jewish collectors and dealers and sold them at public auctions. After the war, many of these works were returned to their rightful owners, but some were kept by the German government or sold off to private collectors.
The legacy of Nazi art
The legacy of Nazi art is a controversial and complicated topic. Many artists who were associated with the Nazi regime, such as Adolf Hitler, Martin Bormann, and Arno Breker, have been denounced for their role in promoting Nazi ideology. However, some scholars argue that the art produced during the Third Reich should be evaluated on its own merits, separate from its political context.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Hitler and the Nazi Party oversaw a dramatic transformation of the arts in Germany. They established strict controls over what could be produced and promoted a specific kind of art that glorified the Aryan race and Nazi ideals. This ” degenerate art ” was deemed to be an affront to German culture and was banned. In its place, the Nazis promoted a return to traditional values and subject matter in art.
Many artists compliant with the Nazis’ wishes, but some resisted. Some artists went into exile, while others were arrested and persecuted. The most famous case is that of German artist Ludwig van Beethoven, who was put on trial for his music being ” too modern.” He was ultimately acquitted, but his music was banned from being played in public.
The legacy of Nazi art is still being debated today. Some argue that it should be condemned outright, while others argue that it should be studied and evaluated on its own merits.
