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Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945, was also a painter. He produced hundreds of works when he tried to sell his paintings and postcards to earn a living during his Vienna years (1908–1913) but had little commercial success. A number of his paintings were recovered after the Second World War and have been sold at auction for tens of thousands of dollars. Others were seized by the United States Army and are still in U.S. government possession. General opinion of his works is overwhelmingly negative; they have been described as cold and unfeeling, with many arguing that Hitler had some talent as an architect, but was lacking when describing natural elements such as trees or people. Hitler's style was very stilted when representing architecture in his paintings. Instead of progressing, his works copied from nineteenth century and other artists. He claimed to be the founder of many artistic movements but drew primarily from Greco Roman classicism, the Italian Renaissance, and Neoclassicism. He liked the technical ability of these artists, as well as the comprehensible symbolism. He called Rudolf von Alt his greatest teacher. Both Hitler and von Alt exhibited an interest in similar subject matter and use of color. In his 1925 autobiography Mein Kampf, Hitler described how, in his youth, he wanted to become a professional artist, but his dreams were ruined because he failed the entrance exam of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Hitler was rejected twice by the institute, once in 1907 and again in 1908. In his first examination, he had passed the preliminary portion which was to draw two of the assigned iconic or Biblical scenes, in two sessions of three hours each. The second portion was to provide a previously prepared portfolio for the examiners. It was noted that Hitler's works contained too few heads. The institute considered that he had more talent in architecture than in painting. One of the instructors, sympathetic to his situation and believing he had some talent, suggested that he apply to the academy's School of Architecture. However, that would have required returning to secondary school from which he had dropped out and to which he was unwilling to return. According to a conversation in August 1939 before the outbreak of World War II, published in the British War Blue Book, Hitler told British ambassador Nevile Henderson, “I am an artist and not a politician. Once the Polish question is settled, I want to end my life as an artist.“
