Hitler-Headed Serpent in Bombarded Landscape

Fred Campbell, Hitler-Headed Serpent in Bombarded Landscape, after 1939, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.148
Copied Fred Campbell, Hitler-Headed Serpent in Bombarded Landscape, after 1939, oil on canvas, 26 1⁄8 x 28 3⁄4 in. (66.5 x 72.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.148

Artwork Details

Title
Hitler-Headed Serpent in Bombarded Landscape
Artist
Date
after 1939
Location
Dimensions
26 1⁄8 x 28 3⁄4 in. (66.5 x 72.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — ruins
  • Architecture — vehicle — airplane
  • Figure male — full length
  • Fantasy — animal — snake
  • State of being — evil — war
  • Landscape — imaginary
  • Portrait male — Hitler, Adolf — head
Object Number
1986.65.148
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.148

Artwork Description

Fred Campbell probably painted this violent image towards the end of World War II. The serpent was a popular wartime symbol of Hitler, comparing him to Satan in the Garden of Eden (Lynda Hartigan, Made with Passion, 1990). Planes fly overhead, dropping bombs on the buildings, while a small figure stands on the winged serpent with a chain around Hitler’s neck. The identity of this barely clothed man remains a mystery, and it is difficult to tell whether he is controlling the dictator or torturing him.