Heinrich Hofmann: Divine Painter, an Inspiration to Modern Christian Artists

By Teresa Carr

Heinrich Hofmann: Divine Painter, an Inspiration to Modern Christian Artists By Teresa Carr Heinrich Hofmann came from a family that embraced a deep interest in art. His father, Heinrich Karl Hofmann (1795-1845) painted in water colors, his mother Sophie Hofmann Volhard (1798-1854) gave lessons in art before she married, and his four brothers all showed artistic talent. Heinrich, however, was the only one for whom art was not only a profession but the center of his life. Hofmann received his first lessons in art from the copper engraver Ernst Rauch in Darmstadt. Then, in 1842, he entered the Academy of Art in Dusseldorf and attended the classes given in painting by Theodor Hildebrandt. Later he was accepted into the studio of Wilhelm von Schadow and there he created his first large painting: A scene from the life of Alboin, King of the Langobards. Thereafter he traveled to the Netherlands and France to intensify his studies of art. In 1846 Hofmann visited the Academy of Art in Antwerp. After passing a longer period of time in Munich he returned to Darmstadt in 1848 and at that time he began an intensive phase of painting portraits. The young artist found that the political activities of his family opened many doors to influential persons of the time. This afforded him the opportunity to create two portraits of Heinrich von Gagern and one of Justus von Liebig (this portrait is now in the possession of the Queen of England). In 1851 Hofmann went to Dresden to visit the art gallery there. In 1853 he traveled to Prague to paint the portrait of Dr. Beer, Great Grand Master of the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Cross. In 1853 Hofmann returned to Darmstadt and in the beginning of 1854 his beloved mother died. He was deeply moved by her death and it inspired him to paint his first large religious work: Burial of Christ. In fall of 1854 he started on a journey to Italy. His first longer stop was in Venice and he used the time there to study Giorgione, Bellini and Giotto (in nearby Padua). After having proceeded to Florence where Hofmann stayed for two months he then went to Rome in January 1855. The comprehensive correspondence with his family and his detailed diary reports convey an impression of his way of painting at that time. He was deeply impressed by artwork of Antiquity, Christianity and the Renaissance. Not long after his arrival in Rome he was introduced to Peter von Cornelius (1783-1867) and frequently paid him a visit. When he began his masterpiece “The Arrest of Jesus” in 1854, this work awakened the interest of Cornelius and for 4 years he accompanied Hofmann with his counsel and his constructive criticism. In 1858 the painting was finished and acquired by the Grand Duchy Art Gallery in Darmstadt. (It is still there not on exhibition but in the archives of the Hessisches Landesmuseum.) In 1858 Hofmann returned to Darmstadt and in the following year he married Elisabeth Werner. The couple had no children. Now another period of painting portraits began. In addition Hofmann created a large altarpiece for the church in Obermarlen (Hesse): “Madonna with Christ Child” and apostles Paul and Peter. Some time later an altarpiece for the church in Vaeggerlose (Denmark) was painted: The Resurrected Christ. In 1862 Hofmann and his wife moved to Dresden. More and more he devoted himself to the genre of religious paintings. In 1870 Heinrich Hofmann was appointed successor of Professor Johann Carl Baehr of the Academy of Art in Dresden whose honorable member he already was. In 1872 King Johann bestowed on him the Great Golden Medal and later he received the Albrecht-Medal from King Albert. In 1891 Hofmann’s wife passed away and soon after that he withdrew from the Academy of Art in Dresden. Even though he stopped working for the Academy it is obvious from his letters that in private life he continued to create many works of art until his death on June 23, 1911. Four of the most famous works of Hofmann are in the possession of the Riverside Church in New York: Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, Christ in Gethsemane, Christ in the Temple and Picture of Christ. According to information of the Riverside Church the painting Christ in Gethsemane is without much doubt one of the most copied paintings in the world. The religious body of Hofmann’s work has gained in importance in the past years. The reason for the increasing popularity of Hofmann’s artwork is the publication of his paintings and pencil drawings depicting the life of Jesus Christ in The Second Coming of Christ, the unequaled interpretation of the Bible by Paramahansa Yogananda, the world-renowned Indian philosopher and teacher of Yoga. Heinrich Hofmann was one of the pre-eminent painters of his time. The Sunday Strand at that time a very popular British magazine describes him as the most influential contemporary German painter. Hofmann’s style of painting was unique in its own way but at the same time he based his work on the traditional art of old German, Dutch and Italian masters. While in Rome he also came in touch with the Nazarenes especially through the influence of Cornelius but throughout his life he remained faithful to the great examples of the Renaissance. Religious paintings take the center stage in Hofmann’s work; but he also created numerous portraits and pictures that depict mythological and historical topics. Selected Works § Burial of Christ, 1854, owner unknown § The Arrest of Christ, 1858, Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt § St. Mary with Christ Child and Apostles, 1860, altarpiece for church in § Obermarlen (Hesse) § Resurrected Christ, 1867, altarpiece for church in Vaeggerlose, Denmark § The Adulteress Before Christ, 1868, Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Dresden § Christ Preaching at the Sea of Galilee, 1875, first National galerie Berlin, § then loan to the church administration in Kassel (Hesse), destroyed in the § Second World War § Jesus in the Temple (original), 1881, Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Dresden § Jesus in the Temple (copy made in Hofmann’s studio: partly done under his supervision, partly by himself), 1882, Riverside Church, New York § Jesus in the Temple, 1884, Kunsthalle Hamburg § Remember Me, 1885, portfolio with drawings depicting the life of Jesus § Come Unto Me, 1887, portfolio with drawings depicting the life of Jesus § Christ with Mary and Martha, 1888, private owner, Los Angeles § Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, 1889, Riverside Church, New York § Christ in Gethsemane, 1890, Riverside Church, New York § Peace Unto You, 1891, portfolio with drawings depicting the life of Jesus § The Lord’s Image, 1894, Riverside Church, New York U Friedrich v. Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Dresden, 1895 Muller, Rosemarie, Heinrich Hofmann, Painter of Christ, Self-Realization Magazine, Winter 2004 U Letters, diaries, records from the estate of Heinrich Hofmann, Hessisches Staatsarchiv (Hessian State Archives), Darmstadt ©2007. Teresa Carr. Skyhouse Communications & Mega Grafx Studio.

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