Dr. Bob Hieronimus

Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D. (“Dr. Bob”)is an artist, author, and radio talk show host from Baltimore where he has painted over 40 symbolic murals and dozens of painted Artcars. In the late 1960s he traveled with several rock and roll bands to share information about mysticism and to design posters and album covers. In 1969 instead of using his tickets to attend Woodstock, he finished the 2,700 square foot prophetic Apocalypse mural at the Johns Hopkins University, which led to Hieronimus being called “one of this country’s best muralists” by Forecast Magazine. Art historian and critic Alan Barnett noted, “Hieronimus has a talent for winning the cooperation of the establishment while he lives and works in the counter-culture.” Author of Occult AmericaMitch Horowitz said, “Hieronimus is the artist of our inner life as a nation. His artwork is the silence between the notes of the national anthem — the esoteric symbolism and ideals that undergird our country.”

In 1969 Hieronimus co-founded AUM, the first state-approved school of esoteric studies in the country, which granted certificates in the occult sciences, mystic arts and religious metaphysics. PBS documented his leadership in 1971 with a feature entitled “The Artist of Savitria”. His doctoral research on American symbolism has been used by the White House, State Department, and Department of the Interior, as well as being turned into two popular books, Founding Fathers, Secret Societiesand United Symbolism of America. He is also the leading authority on the Beatles Yellow Submarine, with two published books examining this classic film from the humanistic psychological perspective. He is seen regularly on the National Geographic, Discovery, and History channels and has also made appearances on BBC, Der Spiegel, Syfy, FOX, Canadian and German television. Together with his wife and partner, Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus, since 1988 he has continued teaching on his radio program, 21st Century Radio®, broadcasting live in the Baltimore/Washington market and online at 21stCenturyRadio.com.

Whatever you call it, just don’t call his art “psychedelic.”  Unlike many other artists, Hieronimus seldom creates a work of art just for the sheer beauty of it. He sees every canvas, wall, or construction as an opportunity to teach, making many of his works so densely packed with symbolism that they require full books to describe them accurately. Psychedelic art is known for similar uses of patterns and bright colors, but Hieronimus’s “symbolic” style is carefully mapped out as a comprehensive teaching guide intended to inspire the viewer to look within themselves to find the divine spark that connects us all as one.