the reasons for the increasing popularity of his artwork is the publication of his paintings and pencil drawings depicting the life of Jesus Christ in The Second Coming of Christ, the interpretation of the Gospels by Paramahansa Yogananda, the founder of Self Realization Fellowship , responsible for bringing the teachings of Kriya Yoga to the West. 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 Three of his paintings were purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.: the 1882 studio copy of Christ in the Tempel (1881), Christ and the Young Rich Man (1889), and Christ in Gethsemane (1890). These now are displayed at the Riverside Church in New York City. Scene from the Life of Alboin, King of the Langobards, 1845 Heinrich von Gagern, 1848, first portrait, in the possession of the Gagern family Heinrich von Gagern, 1848, second portrait, Stadtmuseum Stettin Justus von Liebig, portrait around 1849, in the possession of the Queen of United Kingdom Peter von Cornelius, portrait around 1850, Darmstadt, Institut Mathildenhöhe Self-portrait, Institut Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt The Sculptor Ernst Hähnel, Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Dresden 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 Obermörlen (Hesse) Resurrected Christ, 1867, altarpiece for church in Vaeggerlose, Denmark The Adulteress Before Christ, 1868, Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Dresden Drawings for the Brockhaus Shakespeare-Galerie, 1870 Christ Preaching at the Sea of Galilee, 1875, first Nationalgalerie Berlin, then loan to the church administration in Kassel (Hesse), destroyed in the Second World War Engagement of Prince Albrecht von Wettin with Zedena von Böhmen, 1878, mural painting, Albrechtsburg, Meißen Apotheosis of the Heroes of the Greek Drama, 1876, large ceiling painting in the Royal Theater, Dresden Jesus