Heinrich Hofmann 1824 – 1911

n his Introduction to The Second Coming of Christ, Paramahansa Yogananda gives a wonderful description, from his own divine experiences, of what Jesus looked like. He then writes:
        "Of all the pictures I have seen of him in the West, the rendering by Hofmann comes closest to showing the accurate features of the incarnate Jesus."
        What a compliment! When you first read these words of our Guru, and when you looked at the beautiful paintings and drawings by Hofmann printed in The Second Coming of Christ — did you not ask yourself who this artist was? Perhaps you even looked for some information about him and were disappointed because no one has written a book about Heinrich Hofmann, and modern art encyclopedias do not even mention his name.
        That was certainly my experience.
        I had always loved the picture of Christ chosen by Paramahansaji for Self-Realization Fellowship altars. I knew it was derived from one of Hofmann's works called "Christ and the Rich Young Ruler." I also knew that this painting and three other works by the artist ("Christ in the Temple," "Christ's Image," and "Christ in Gethsemane") were in the possession of the Riverside Church in New York City. And I often asked myself: Who was this artist? Did he create any other artwork? But I never dreamed where these idle wonderings would one day lead.

t all began several years ago when I learned that Self-Realization Fellowship was making plans to publish The Second Coming of Christ, and that illustrations would be needed. Right away my dormant interest in Hofmann reawakened, and with great enthusiasm I started my quest for answers about the German artist who had so impressed my Guru. Living in Germany, I thought it would be easy. I consulted art books and encyclopedias in local libraries and bookstores. I talked to research librarians, antique dealers, museum directors — and found nothing! It was almost as though Heinrich Hofmann had never existed. What now? How should I proceed?
        Then it dawned on me that I needed to go back to encyclopedias, books, and magazines published during Hofmann's lifetime. In the reading room of a large university library I found my first clues in hundred-year-old reference books — including a list of his artwork. I was delighted! Now I knew that he had been born and raised in Darmstadt; and from the list I learned that among other works he had created three portfolios of pencil drawings depicting the life of Christ. The names of the portfolios were: Come Unto Me, Remember Me, and Peace Unto You. [See covers]
        These biographical facts gave me the idea to call a well-known library in the artist's home city. I asked the librarian to check whether they had anything under the name of Heinrich Hofmann. When she came back to the phone I held my breath — what would she say? She informed me matter-of-factly: "We have three portfolios with drawings by this artist. Are you interested in those?"
        Was I interested? I was in heaven! I was told they were more than one hundred years old, and I could only see them in the library.
        The following day I was on my way to Darmstadt. After a short waiting period, I finally held the portfolios in my hands. They were exquisite. The size was thirteen by nineteen inches, and each had a different color and design. With the greatest reverence I opened the first one, Come Unto Me. I don't know how to describe what happened to me then. It was as if two thousand years simply melted away and I was transported into the life of the blessed Master of Galilee. In the most beautiful drawings I saw Christ healing the sick, raising the dead, staying with Mary and Martha, being tempted by the devil, driving out the money changers, and celebrating the Last Supper. I beheld his crucifixion and his glorious resurrection and many other scenes from his life. I was there and it was always him — in each picture was the same Christ I had come to love so dearly over the years through his picture on our SRF altars. It was instantly obvious that in all the drawings there was a continuity — the features of the man were visible in the boy Jesus and could be anticipated in the baby.
        With tears in my eyes I closed the last portfolio. I had seen many works of art — masterpieces in European churches and museums — but never anything that looked so authentic, that radiated such divine beauty, and that conveyed such a presence of Jesus Christ. "I must send this to the Mother Center," was my next thought. But how?
        "Do you have a copying machine?" I asked the librarian, "And can I make copies of these portfolios?" She was hesitant. "Actually we do not allow people to handle our older works, and I do not have the time to make copies." But I did not give up. "You know," I beseeched her, "I will take very good care of these folders." She looked at me, and then said, "All right, I will make an exception."
        But when I saw the first copy I was deeply disappointed — I held a black and white picture in my hands. The fine nuances, the wonderful shading, the warm tone, and the softness of the drawing were lost. It would be impossible to use this quality in a book, and there was no other copying machine. Still I decided to send the copies to the Mother Center.

fter this discovery I was eager to find out more about the personal life of the artist. Hidden away in the official Archives of the State of Hessen in Darmstadt (HStA, Darmstadt), I found what had eluded my earlier research: Hofmann's own draft books of correspondence — never before published — and other documents that revealed his life story, his religious belief, his view on art, and very personal statements about his way of painting. (I have translated excerpts for this article.)
        In the meantime I could not get over my disappointment in the black-and-white copies of the portfolios. I wanted SRF to have these original portfolios. One day I passed by an antique shop and thought, "If a library has those portfolios, perhaps I can get them in a shop like this." I went in and asked the salesperson if she had any works by Heinrich Hofmann. She said, "No, but I could try the Internet." (At that time I did not have access to the Internet.) She typed in the name — and there it was, our first portfolio: Come Unto Me — one copy only, available from a rare book dealer in Vienna! I was quick to acquire it. Later I was able to continue the Internet search myself, and after many months found an equally rare copy of the second portfolio, Remember Me. But the third portfolio, Peace Unto You, was nowhere to be found.
        I consoled myself that at least the Mother Center now had two of the folders. The monastics engaged in the preparation of Paramahansaji's commentaries on the life and teachings of Jesus were thrilled with the prospect of using the drawings in The Second Coming of Christ.
        Nearly half a year had passed and still Peace Unto You was missing. I checked the Internet every day — and I prayed! Finally I was so exhausted that I wrote a letter to our beloved president, Sri Daya Mata, asking her to add her prayers that it might be possible to find this last precious collection of drawings. Well, I am sure you know that this is going to have a happy ending! Only a short time later I looked on the Internet again — for the umpteenth time — and there it was: Peace Unto You! I called the number and found that it was an antique shop in Switzerland.
        I asked the owner: "Would you mind telling me why you put this on the Internet right now?"
        "Well," he said, "a few days ago I was going through my warehouse, trying to decide what I could put out for sale, when I saw this portfolio. It came in only recently, as part of a legal estate — I believe it belonged to a library. And somehow the thought occurred to me that someone might like to have it!"

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