Schwartz Portrait of Krishnamurti (art work)
In 1926 Henry Schwartz painted the portrait of Jiddu Krishnamurti that hangs in the headquarters building of the Theosophical Society in America. The painting was donated in 2008 by the artist's son Vernon Schwartz of Oak Park, Illinois.
Henry Schwartz probably saw Krishnamurti in person on August 29, 1926, when the cornerstone was laid for the L. W. Rogers Building. He was a local member of the American Theosophical Society living in Oak Park. There was no "sitting" for the portrait, however. The pose was modeled after a 1911 painting by English artist Alfred Hitchens (1861-1942), when Krishnamurti was only 16 years old and had a slight mustache. Presumably Schwartz had access to a color photograph of the earlier work, since the photo was widely available. It had been distributed with the first issue of The Herald of the Star in 1914, and was also sold through the Order of the Star in the East.
Schwartz rendered the face as more mature, matching Krishnamurti's then-current age of 29 years. He slightly altered the angle of the head and the parting of the hair, and Schwartz omitted the teenage mustache. His work exhibits considerable refinement in details such as the lace. The work is nearly life-sized, measuring 62 inches high by 35 inches wide (158 x 89 cm).
Schwartz was a very active member of the Oak Park Lodge, and a close friend of Henry A. Smith.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Schwartz work on the left, and Hitchens on the right:
 
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