Wolfgang Willrich (31 March 1897 – 18 October 1948) was a German artist of the 20th century, who created propaganda art during the time of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. In 1933, Willrich was employed by the Nazi government, for which he drew art depicting idealized racial standards and portraits of soldiers and party officials.

Biography

Willrich was born on 31 March 1897 in

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

. His father, Hugo Willrich, was a

hellenist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and honorary professor of classical philology at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

. Willrich started painting at an early age. In 1915, he attended the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universit ...

. In 1916, he was called up for service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, serving as a

Feldwebel ''Feldwebel '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupi ...

in the 251st Infantry Regiment on the Western Front. As a Feldwebel, he received the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

. He was captured by the French and was interned in Orleans until 1920. During his internment, he created war art. After his release, Willrich resumed his studies in 1921 at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. From 1933 to 1934, Willrich worked at the

Reich Chamber of Culture The Reich Chamber of Culture (''Reichskulturkammer'') was a government agency in Nazi Germany. It was established by law on 22 September 1933 in the course of the ''Gleichschaltung'' process at the instigation of Reich Minister Joseph Goebbels a ...

, but was forced out due to his association with the

Tannenbergbund The ''Tannenbergbund'' (, Tannenberg Union, TB) was a nationalist German political society formed in September 1925 at the instigation of Konstantin Hierl under the patronage of the former German Army general Erich Ludendorff. Part of the Völki ...

. He worked for Richard Walther Darré, Reich Minister of Agriculture. In 1935, Willrich declined becoming a full member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

. Willrich authored two books on art, ''Säuberung des Kunsttempels'' (The Cleaning of the Temple of Art) and ''Des Edlen Ewiges Reich'' (Of the Noble, Eternal Reich). The books condemned the art of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

Degenerate art Degenerate art (german: Entartete Kunst was a term adopted in the 1920s by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe modern art. During the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, German modernist art, including many works of internationally renowned artists, ...

and encouraged the expression of racial consciousness in art. In 1945, Willrich was captured by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in Normandy and imprisoned. He was released in 1946. Willrich died in 1948. He had started an autobiography which was completed by his wife in 1987.

Gallery

File:Wolfgang Willrich - Porträt der Josefa Wieser, Ramsau bei Schladming.jpg, Josefa Wieser, 1938 File:Wolfgang Willrich (1897-1948) Familienbildniss (Family) GDK 1938 (1939 reproduction) Third Reich racial propaganda No known copyright restrictions.jpg, Familienbildniss (Family), 1938 File:Wolfgang Willrich - Porträt Dr. med. Lydia Müller, 1939.jpg, Dr. med. Lydia Müller, 1939 File:Wolfgang Willrich. Fritsch, Kradmelder einer Panzer-Vorausabteilung 1940. WK II Wehrmacht Heer WW2 German army soldier Volksbund für das Deutschtum im Ausland VDA Berlin Nazi propaganda postcard No known copyright restrictions.jpg, Soldier, 1940 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2006-0192, Werner Mölders (cropped).jpg,

Werner Mölders Werner Mölders (18 March 1913 – 22 November 1941) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot, wing commander, and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. He became the first pilot in aviation history to shoot down 10 ...

, 1941 File:Wolfgang Willrich - Porträt Erwin Rommel, 1941.jpg, Erwin Rommel, 1941 File:Wolfgang Willrich - Freiherr von Maltzahn, 1942.jpg,

Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn (20 October 1910 – 24 June 1953) was a German military aviator and wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 68 enemy aircraft shot down in 497 combat missions. ...

, 1942 File:Vom Hitlerjungen zum Offizier des Heeres - Dein Weg! Ansichtskarte Postkarte 1943 Propaganda Wolfgang Willrich Zeichnung Steiniger-Bilddrucke From Hitler Youth to Officer in the Army - Your Path! Postcard No known copyright restriction.jpg, "From

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

to Officer of the Army- Your Way!", 1943 File:VDA T316, Generaloberst Guderian.JPG, Heinz Guderian, 1940

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willrich, Wolfgang 20th-century German artists 1897 births 1948 deaths German portrait painters German war artists SS personnel German Army personnel of World War I German Army soldiers of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Deaths from cancer in Germany Berlin University of the Arts alumni

Biography

Gallery

See also

References