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Adolf Hitler's Art vs. My Art

I invite you to think for a moment about artists and their art. I'm vulnerable doing this because I am an artist. However, I am also primarily a philosopher.

This talk by Dr. Daniel Callcut ends on a pertinent note: We don't want our artistic heroes to be evil.


Adolf Hitler was evil. He was also a painter. What I want to point out is that, contained in his artwork, are the ideas he implemented as the epitome of evil: The originator and, ultimately, commander of The Holocaust. Take a look at this painting by Adolf Hitler:


  Now, look at what I consider one of my best, recent photographs, "Lady in Waiting":


Adolf Hitler and I use a similar color scheme. We both use plant life as beautiful ideals. We both use alabaster--on the Lady's legs (which is me), and on Hitler's pathways and architecture. 

In art, one ideal of beauty is placing interest is in the upper, righthand side of the piece of art. Hitler uses this. Note the two spires on the right of his painting which do not appear on the left. Hitler's painting also gives off a sterile image of perfection, which my photo, with my dirty yet shapely feet and legs, randomly fallen leaves, and fuzzy light, reject. The mood of my photograph is romantic and sad, as if the Lady (me) longs for a lover. Yet, Hitler's sterile mood is applied to the whole of reality. It is as if his mind is shaping reality; whereas my photograph finds a woman in a setting that hasn't been touched by humans for a long time.

A viewer could imagine The Lady's sadness. To imagine any emotion viewing Hitler's painting, one must look at the small man in the bottom left corner, whom we can imagine is the author of Mein Kampf.

Can an evil person be a good artist? I do not know. But if they can, fuck 'em.


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