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Johann Michael Ferdinand Heinrich Hofmann [1824-1911]...

Born in Germany to artistic parents who encouraged his creative gifts... 

Heinrich Hofmann went on to become one of the most celebrated German painters of the late 19th century. 

Tutored by his mother, who taught drawing classes, Hofmann became an apprentice to a copper engraver at 16, and two years later he entered the acclaimed Düsseldorf Art Academy. At the time, Christian subjects were the focus of the school’s curriculum. During his three years at the academy, Hofmann earned a place in the top master class.

For 12 years after his schooling, Hofmann studied and painted in all of Europe’s major centers of art. Based on his study of German, Dutch, and Italian masters, Hofmann developed a distinctive style that was richly realistic. It wasn’t until after he married, that Hofmann began painting the portraits that supported his family, and built his reputation. In 1862 he moved to Dresden, where he worked for five decades.

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Hofmann’s later career is marked... 

by an increasing focus on religious subjects... 

that reflected his own deep personal faith, which included a strong devotion to the scriptures.

 Hofmann’s is a “beautifully compassionate yet psychologically intense Christ,” says MOA Director Mark Magleby, who notes that some of the most memorable images of the Savior have come from Hofmann’s brush. He painted the Savior so often that he did not use a model.

Several of his works were collected by Americans, which ultimately saved them from bombing during World War II. “After the war was over, no one wanted religious paintings,” says Pheysey. “This is the first time that some of these have been displayed publicly since before World War II.”

Portrait of Christ, the Savior

Hofmann painted this portrait for himself, says curator Dawn Pheysey. “He wanted to hang it above his bed, so every night he could look at it and think, ‘Have I kept the commandments this day?’” 

This painting has similarly inspired LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson, who has had a copy in his office since he was a young bishop in the 1950s. Of Hofmann’s portrayal of Christ, he said, “Look at the kindness in those eyes. Look at the warmth of expression. When facing difficult situations, I often look at it, and ask myself, ‘What would He do?’ Then I have tried to respond accordingly.”

Christ and the Rich Young Ruler

The detail of Christ’s head from this painting has been reproduced perhaps more than any other image of the Savior. “It’s often cropped [bijgesneden], just to show His face—the beautiful, compassionate, serious, mature, noble face,” says Magleby. 

Hofmann is often praised for his ability to capture empathy and emotion, and in this painting he portrays the poignant mixture of compassion and sorrow that the Savior feels when men and women refuse to sacrifice personal desires to follow Him.

In this painting, the Savior asks a rich young man to sell all he has and to give it to the poor. This was a deeply personal topic for Hofmann, “a great benefactor to the poor,” says Pheysey. “He was especially concerned about them at Christmastime. He would often invite them to come to his home, and would give presents to the children.”

Hofmann displayed this painting in his studio for 16 years, refusing to part with it because it was a favorite of his wife, Elizabeth. The aging artist reluctantly sold it to an American collector in 1904, “after he was offered more for it than he’d ever been offered for any other painting,” says Pheysey. 

John D. Rockefeller Jr. later purchased the painting... 

and donated it to the Riverside Church in 1932.

[bron]