The Rape Of Europa Analysis

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The Effects of Art

The documentary "The Rape of Europa" is about the war on European art that took place during World War II. During this war countless pieces of art were either destroyed or stolen by the Nazis. Adolph Hitler--and other Nazi leaders--destroyed "condemned" art or systematically stole pieces that were desired for personal collections. When watching this documentary one can clearly see the effect that art--or lack of art--can have on people. "Condemned" art were modern pieces of art that Hitler hated; he hated that there were so many Jewish artists and he hated that artists and pieces of art he did not like were famous and yet he was never given the opportunity to excel as an artist himself. As a young man Adolph Hitler applied
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Hitler was obsessed with art and his rejection at the academy seemed to have left him with much bitterness. Once Hitler rose to power his bitterness became dangerous. Hitler believed that most modern art was inferior and would pollute and "stain" the German life. In 1937 Hitler began the "purification" of art and began to destroy the pieces of art he considered to be inferior. Art seemed to effect Hitler in two ways--he either became inspired or more hateful. Certain places, like Florence or Rome, inspired him to create his own magnificent, artistic world--what he would call the Linz project. The Linz project was supposed to be created in Linz, Austria and was meant to be the center of all European art. Hitler's plan included the procurement of art, either through purchase or thievery. Hitler wanted had a couple hundred pieces of art from Poland but but the large majority of all Polish art was worthless in Hitler's eyes. Hitler viewed the Polish as inhuman--like the Jews--and he ordered the destruction of Poland and all of its people. While attacking Poland, Hitler ordered the that the Warsaw Royal Castle, a building a historically and artistically important to the Polish, to be shelled. Hitler knew from a song he had heard that the Warsaw Castle was an object of hope to the people of Poland; he knew that if he had power over the castle then maybe he could control the

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