HAVC 135B : German Art 1905-1945

Hitler at the Front; Emil Scheibe, 1942-3

This party picture is created by Emil Scheibe. At the center of the foreground stands Hitler, who is a overriding leader among the propagandists. Based on Hitler's posture, it shows his dominate and divine role of guiding nation to the final success. In most group portraits,he always stood out, reflecting his high position. Also, party members stood around him followed his direction with their adoring eyes. In this painting, Hitler stood like a wise think, gazing into a long distance. He believed that right and power were above all-else, and he felt that he was standing above the whole world. 

People surrounded all believed in his military management, so it was helpful to the future unification among the Nazi. "Throughout Germany, as in its temple, the totality of the genius of the race was thus deployed, not so much in all its diversity but rather in its eternity" (Michaud, 122). Though some people may say that Hitler was not humanistic because he used cruel ways to get the Jews out of the Germany, it seemed like a racial discrimination, but admittedly, Hitler still had the same purpose as the modernism, which was to achieve the unified nation and cause a permanent influence to the future politics in Germany.

So in general, this painting not only lays a solid foundation for the theories of race but also helped to seek a German visual judgement.

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