In the article the
“Murder Artist” by Terry Teachout, the idea of how Adolf Hitler’s artistic skill influenced his political rule is addressed. It starts out by saying that Hitler originally wanted to be an artist, that even when he applied at a German worker’s party he said he described himself as a painter. Hitler had even said that “[he] became a politician against [his] will. If someone else had been found, [he] would never have gone into politics; [he] would have been an artist or a philosopher.” Hitler’s passion and artistic knowledge could have been used in innocent ways if given enough encouragement. However, Hitler ended up using the expressive power of art for a “more practical and far-reaching use.”
The article then goes on to discuss Hitler’s “aesthetic talents…were in fact at the heart of his political self-understanding.” It mentions how Hitler planned to create cultural monuments that would change the face of Germany and immortalize himself. However, he did not only plan to use art after his conquer, but also to conquer Germany. Many of his speeches and media were planned out by him to help influence his audience. Everything was organized, especially the seating charts, to centralize all of the focus on him.
Overall this article does a very good job depicting the importance of art in Hitler’s life and his use of hit to dominate over others.
This is an intriguing twist to the classic Hitler image. It shows how the course of history may have been different, if only events had played out in a slightly different way. You use quotes to great effect and provide a clear and concise summary of the article.
ReplyDeleteThis is an instresting background on hitler, and I little scary... I never thought Hitler could be a passionate artist outside of an artistic murderor.
ReplyDeleteYou never mention in this piece what your opinion is on this image of hitler, I would be curious to know what you made of th article.