“The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane” is the most famous painting of Jesus in Gethsemane. That work of art is one of the best works of Heinrich Hofmann. In 1932 the famous philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased the painting of Christ in Gethsemane and donated it to the Riverside Church in New York City, stating “I have always been interested in the picture, but never felt that an individual ought to possess such a rare treasure. I feel that it should be made available to the general public.”
Johann Michael Ferdinand Heinrich Hofmann (March 19, 1824 – June 23, 1911) was a German painter of the late 19th to early 20th century. Depicting the life of Jesus Christ through his works of art made him more popular. 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 Christ’s Image.
The painting, Christ in Gethsemane, is undoubtedly one of the most reprinted paintings in the world. The religious value of Hofmann’s work has achieved importance in the past years. One of the reasons for the increasing popularity of his artwork is the publication of his paintings and pencil drawings which depict 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.
The spiritual drama of Gethsemane is emphasized with spotlighting and the intense wringing of hands, yet Christ’s face, sensitively rendered though, remains placid.