Cain, or Hitler in Hell - Wikipedia
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Cain, or Hitler in Hell is an oil on canvas painting by German American artist George Grosz, executed in 1944. It is one of the most known paintings of the years when Grosz lived in the United States, from 1933 to 1958, after leaving Germany, shortly after the Nazi seized power. It was part of Grosz’s heirs collection until being purchased in 2019 by the Deutsches Historisches Museum, in Berlin, where its exhibited since 2020.
Description
The painting was created when the World War II was in his final stages, but the defeat of Nazi Germany was already predictable. Hitler in this painting takes the place of Cain, the first murderer, who killed his brother Abel, in the Book of Genesis. He is seen in an apocalyptic landscape, seated at the left, mopping his forehead with a kierchief, while a corpse lies in the mud, face down and bare-cheasted, behind him. A reddish coloration dominates the canvas, coming from the flamming buildings at the background, and they give the painting an Hellish atmosphere. An enormous quantity of tiny skeletons rise from the ground beneath him and start clambering his legs. It seems a metaphore for the victims of the war who now want vengeance from him.
Grosz described the painting as depicting “Hitler as a fascist monster, or as an apocalyptic beast, consumed by his own thoughts.”
Monika Grütters, German Minister of State for Culture, stated at the time of the inauguration of the painting that “Since its creation in 1944, the work Cain or Hitler in Hell has lost none of its power.” "On the contrary: George Grosz’ apocalyptic vision of terror looks like an appeal, like a warning against forgetting, in view of the renewed anti-Semitism in our society. It is works of art like this that help us learn the right lessons from history."
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