Special stamp on Blind Talents by Latvia post

Date of Issue : 26 July 2019

 Blind Talents - Painters

Latvijas Pasts in collaboration with the social company Blind Art has released a new stamp and a cover featuring works of art created using the tactile painting technique, a way of painting adapted to visually impaired people. The drawings have been made by the pupils of Strazdumuiža Residential Secondary School. 

The design of the stamp and the cover incorporates several works created during the classes of visual and tactile art at the development centre of Strazdumuiža Residential Secondary School by the pupils of grades 4 to 8, working jointly under the supervision of the teacher Baiba Pika.

The stamp created by the gifted blind persons includes the painting Garāmgājējs (A Passer-by), while the cover is decorated with the drawings Balerīna (Ballerina) and Gribu būt karalis! (I Want to Be King!). The first day postmark depicts the stylus, a centre-punching tool used in tactile painting.

Tactile Painting

Tactile painting is a special type of drawing adapted to visually impaired people. Paper is attached to a specially designed drawing object and a stylus is used to centre-punch the contour of the drawing object. The resulting silhouette of the drawing is turned over and painting with specialised finger paints or oil chalks is carried out by touching the tactile dots made in the centre-punching process. 

Leonardo da Vinci drawings from Royal Collection

Royal Post CELEBRATES  LIFE AND WORKS of 

Leonardo da Vinci

This beautiful set of 12 Special First Class Stamps issued by Royal Mail on 13 February 2019 is each one a miniature work of art.The stamps are presented in two se-tenant strips of six and feature the following original Leonardo da Vinci drawings from Royal Collection Trust:

• The skull sectioned.
• A sprig of guelder rose.
• Studies of cats.
• A star-of-Bethlehem and other plants.
• The anatomy of the shoulder and foot.
• The head of Leda.
• The head of a bearded man.
• The skeleton.
• The head of St Philip.
• A woman in a landscape.
• A design for an equestrian monument.
• The fall of light on a face.

Leonardo is widely considered one of the greatest artists of all time, and 500 years since his death his drawings, in which he explored fields as diverse as botany, anatomy, portraiture, design and the nature of the world around him, continue to fascinate. 

The drawings featured on the stamps were chosen to coincide with the 12 exhibitions, ‘Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing’, taking place in 2019 across the UK – one drawing from each of the 12 exhibitions is featured on a stamp. 

Leonardo da Vinci was one of history’s greatest polymaths – a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer and map-maker who also pursued the scientific study of subjects as diverse as human anatomy, the theory of light, the movement of water and the growth of plants. 

The common thread to all Leonardo’s work was drawing. He drew incessantly, for new ideas, to refine compositions, to record his observations and to test his theories. Many of his drawings are accompanied by extensive notes in ‘mirror-writing’: Leonardo was left-handed, and throughout his life he habitually wrote in perfect mirror image, from right to left. 

Fewer than 20 paintings by Leonardo survive, and nothing in sculpture or architecture. But because Leonardo hoarded thousands of his drawings and dozens of notebooks, many of which have been passed down through succeeding centuries, we have a detailed knowledge of the workings of his extraordinary mind. 

The Royal Collection holds the greatest collection of Leonardo’s drawings in existence, housed in the Print Room at Windsor Castle. Because they have been protected from light, fire and flood, they are in almost pristine condition and allow us to see exactly what Leonardo intended – and to observe his hand and mind at work, after a span of five centuries. These drawings are among the greatest artistic treasures of the United Kingdom.

This First Day Cover celebrates the life and work of Leonardo Da Vinci, and features a remarkable selection of drawings from the collection of Her Majesty The Queen,acquired by King Charles II in around 1670.

The Tallents House postmark features one of Leonardo’s drawings of a human eye, while the alternative postmark features one of his intricate drawings of a human hand. 

The location is Windsor in recognition of the extensive collection of the artist’s drawings housed in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.

The skull sectioned, 1489 : Pen and ink : Ulster Museum, Belfast

Leonardo had little access to human material when he first started to study anatomy. But in 1489, he obtained a skull, which he cut in a variety of sections to study its structure. In this drawing, he shows the skull sawn down the middle, then across the front of the right side. This beautifully lucid presentation, with the two halves juxtaposed, allows the viewer to locate the facial cavities in relation to the surface features. Leonardo wished to determine the proportions of the skull and the paths of the sensory nerves, believing that they must converge at the site of the soul.

A sprig of guelder-rose, c.1506–12 : Red chalk on orange-red prepared paper : Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens

A beautifully rendered study of guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus) has been drawn in red chalk on paper rubbed all over with powdered red chalk. Although it may be connected with Leonardo’s Leda and the Swan, it is far more detailed than necessary as a study for a painting; indeed, it surpasses anything found in contemporary herbals. The leaves are shown curling and sagging, for Leonardo was interested not merely in their shape but also in their living form when subject to the natural forces of growth and gravity.

Studies of cats, c.1517–18 : Pen and ink : Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

Leonardo’s studies of sleeping cats are among his most sensitively observed drawings and must have been done directly from life. His appreciation of the animals’ lithe forms had a scientific basis, for elsewhere on the sheet he wrote: “Of flexion and extension. The lion is the prince of this animal species, because of the flexibility of its spine.” This suggests that the drawings were made in connection with Leonardo’s proposed treatise on “the movements of animals with four feet, among which is man, who likewise in his infancy crawls on all fours”. 

A star-of-Bethlehem and other plants, c.1506–12 : Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum : Glasgow

Leonardo drew plants and flowers as studies for decorative details in his paintings and probably also in the process of working towards a systematic treatise on the growth of plants and trees. His finest botanical drawings were executed for his painting Leda and the Swan, which was to have a foreground teeming with plants and flowers, thus echoing the fertility inherent in that myth. The focus of this drawing is a clump of star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), whose swirling leaves are seen in studies for, and copies of, the lost painting.

The anatomy of the shoulder and foot, c.1510–11 : Pen and ink with wash : Southampton City Art Gallery

Leonardo was fascinated by the mechanism of the shoulder and by how the arrangement of muscles and bones allowed such a wide range of movement. Here he analyses the shoulder and arm in a series of drawings at progressive states of dissection. He begins at upper right with the muscles intact and then lifts away individual muscles, such as the deltoid and biceps, to reveal the structures below. At lower right, Leonardo demonstrates the articulation of the ankle with the tibia and fibula lifted away from the foot.

The head of Leda, c.1505–08 : Pen and ink over black chalk : Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Over the last 15 years of his life, Leonardo worked on a painting of the myth of Leda, showing the queen of Sparta seduced by the god Jupiter in the guise of a swan. The painting was the highest valued item in Leonardo’s estate at his death; it later entered the French royal collection but was apparently destroyed around 1700. In this sketch, Leonardo expended little effort on Leda’s demure downward glance, devoting his attention instead to the most complicated of hairstyles – throughout his life he had a love of personal adornment in both hair and clothes.

The head of a bearded man, c.1517–18 : Black chalk : Derby Museum and Art Gallery

Leonardo was fascinated by the male profile, both the divinely beautiful and the hideously grotesque. Such heads are found throughout his work, from paintings such as The Last Supper to quick doodles in the margins of his drawings. Towards the end of his life, Leonardo made many carefully finished drawings of classical profiles, exercises in form and draughtsmanship simply for his own satisfaction. Their features – such as the dense mat of curly hair seen here – were inspired by ancient coins and medals of Roman emperors.

The skeleton, c.1510–11 : Pen and ink with wash : Amgueddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales, Cardiff

Leonardo’s most brilliant anatomical studies were conducted in the winter of 1510–11, when he was apparently working in the medical school of the university of Pavia, near Milan. He may have dissected up to 20 human bodies at that time, concentrating on the mechanisms of the bones and muscles. This is his most complete representation of a skeleton, seen from front, side and back in the manner of an architectural drawing. Leonardo aimed to compile an illustrated treatise on human anatomy, but his studies remained unpublished at his death.

The head of St Philip, c.1495 : Black chalk :Millennium Gallery, Sheffield

Leonardo’s greatest completed work was The Last Supper, painted in the refectory of the monastic church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan and now in a ruined state. The mural shows the reaction of the disciples to Christ’s announcement of his imminent betrayal. Few drawings survive of the hundreds that must have been made. This study for the head of St Philip, leaning towards Christ in devotion and despair, was probably based on a live model, but Leonardo has idealised the features, taking them out of the real world and into the divine.

A woman in a landscape, c.1517–18 : Black chalk : Manchester Art Gallery

Two of Leonardo’s favourite devices – a mysterious smile and a pointing hand – are combined in this ethereal drawing. It shows a woman standing in a rocky, watery landscape, smiling at us while gesturing into the distance, her arms gathering her drapery to her breast. The most plausible explanation is that this is the maiden Matelda gathering flowers, as she appears to Dante on the far side of a stream in Purgatory, the second book of his Divine Comedy. However, the purpose of the drawing is unknown.

A design for an equestrian monument, c.1485–88 : Silverpoint on blue prepared paper : Leeds Art Gallery

Ludovico Sforza, ruler of Milan, commissioned Leonardo to execute a bronze equestrian monument, well over life size, to his father, Francesco. Leonardo’s early studies show Francesco on a rearing horse over a fallen foe. Over the next five years, Leonardo built a full-sized clay model of the horse and prepared a mould for the casting – a huge technical challenge. But in 1494, Ludovico requisitioned the 75 tonnes of bronze for the cast to make cannon, and the monument was never finished. Invading French troops used the clay model for target practice, destroying it.

The fall of light on a face, c.1488 : Pen and ink : Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

During the 1480s, Leonardo began to assemble material towards a treatise on the theory of painting. His own paintings, such as the Mona Lisa, were noted even in his own day for their sophisticated treatment of shadows, and here he sets out the geometrical principles of light and shade. The diagram and notes (in mirror writing) explain that where the light falls at right angles on the face, the face will be most strongly illuminated; where it falls at a shallow angle, the face will be less strongly lit; and where no light is received, under the nose and chin, the surface will be completely dark.

Leonardo da Vinci Prestige Stamp Book

Beautiful paintings and drawings adorn every page of this Prestige Stamp Book which explores the many facets of Leonardo da Vinci - making it the ideal gift or collectible.The book is complemented by three stamp panes containing all 12 Special Stamps.

• Set against a background featuring examples of his drawings and paintings, including ‘The Last Supper’.
• A fourth pane contains Definitive stamps in colours that beautifully complement the drawings and paintings in the book. The pane also includes a self-portrait in the centre.

Source : Royal Mail

New stamp from Russia with Luminescence Effect...

The 175th Birth Anniversary of Arkhip Kuindzhi (1841-1910), Artist

Russian Post has introduced an original stamp that commemorates the 175th birth anniversary of Arkhip Kuindzhi, a Russian painter. It is the first time in the history of philately that special transparent ink, which glows in the UV radiation, has been used when manufacturing this special philatelic item.

The souvenir sheet consists of a postage stamp bearing an image of Night on the Dnepr painting (1882), and the margins feature a painting by Ivan Kramskoi called Portrait of Painter Arkhip Kuindzhi. Thanks to the technologies used, a glow in the UV radiation can be seen on the stamp.

Kuindzhi was called “a painter of light”. The stamp truly represents the painter’s artistic intention to create real moonlight and space depth. In the artist’s opinion, Night on the Dnepr became the main painting of his life.

The painting depicted on this original souvenir sheet by Russian Post demonstrates harmonicity and tranquility, as well as simplicity of patterns. The moon shines in the night sky, painting the clouds in a cold light. The moonlight can be seen fluctuate in the waters of Dnepr below.

The slow current of the river, its curves, the coastline and peasants’ huts can also be seen. The whole nature has become silent fascinated by the marvelous shining of the sky and the Dnepr waters.

400th death anniversary of “El Greco”

 

Hellenic Post (ELTA) introduced collectible stamps edition to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Domenicus Theotokopoulos, the master painter of the Spanish Renaissance who was also known as “El Greco”.

The El Greco stamps and various associated products are on sale at post offices starting Wednesday, depicting details from El Greco’s painting “The Burial of Christ” – a painting acquired by the National Gallery of Athens.

Characters from Andersen’s fairy tales on new danish stamps

 

Date of Issue : 30 August 2014

Denmark Post issued two stamps from the series featuring contemporary interpretations of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales.  This issue was released on the 30^th of August.

In 1855, H.C. Andersen published his fairy-tale Numskull Jack. The seemingly naïve and put upon hero is a figure familiar from popular fairy tales all over the world, often the youngest of three brothers. Confounding all expectations, however, he succeeds in besting his two older and more knowledgeable brothers in the battle to win the hand of the princess – largely on account of the strange and seemingly useless objects he gathers up from the road. Numskull Jack and the dead crow feature on the DKK 6.50 stamp.

The fairy tale about Thumbelina was published in 1835, the same year that Hans Christian Andersen published his first collection of fairy-tales. In the story, Hans Christian Andersen imparts the feeling of being different to the little girl, who arrives in the world in the middle of a beautiful tulip. When she is subsequently carried away by the toad and exiled on a lilly pad, she faces having to acquiesce to the toad’s desire for her to marry his son.

On her long journey, she encounters a host of well-meaning characters who all believe they have her best interests at heart, but nobody really understands how Thumbelina feels. It is not until she flees from her upcoming marriage of convenience to a mole that she begins to tap into her own resources. The hideous toad with Thumbelina in his arms is the motif on the DKK 9.00 stamp.

Club News

Karnataka Postal Circle issued a Special Cover to mark 100 years of Kannada Sahitya Parishat at Sattur, Dharwad on 17th August 2014. (Special Cover approval no. KTK/15/2014)

Kannada Saahithya Parishath is one of Karnataka's oldest cultural institutions. It was formed on May 3, 1915 to promote Kannada language and literature through book publishing, literary seminars and research projects. It also organises an annual conference on Kannada literature called Kannada Sahithya Sammelana. The centenary celebrations of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat were inaugurated at Dharwad on 17th August 2014 by Minister of State for Kannada and Culture Umashri.

Courtesy : Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum ; Indian Philately Digest

ASSAMPEX – 2014

Assam Postal Circle is organizing a state level philatelic exhibition,ASSAMPEX - 2014 on 1st and 2nd November’ 2014 at Guwahati.

Venue: Don Bosco Auditorium, Panbazar, Guwahati - 781001
Date of Exhibition: 01-11-2014 & 02-11-2014

: Sreejesh Krishnan - Trivandrum

New stamps from USPS..

 

Date of Issue : 21 August 2014

Hudson River School stamps

USPS will issue a set of four Forever stamps on 21st August 2014 featuring famous paintings of Hudson River School .

During the 19th century, the artists of a young America searched for a new way of viewing the world and found it in the very landscapes around them. Inspired by the stunning natural beauty of New York state, the loose-knit Hudson River School of painters flourished from the mid-1830s to the mid-1870s and gave America its first major school of art.

This 12th issuance in the American Treasures series features details of paintings by four renowned Hudson River School artists. The paintings on these stamps are: Distant View of Niagara Falls (1830) by Thomas Cole, from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago;Summer Afternoon (1865) by Asher B. Durand, from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Sunset (1856) by Frederic Edwin Church, from the collection of the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute; and Grand Canyon (1912) by Thomas Moran, from the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The Civil War: 1864 stamps from USPS

Date of Issue : 30 July 2014

USPS issued  two stamps on “The Civil War (1861-1865)”, the most wrenching chapter in American history, claimed the lives of more than 620,000 soldiers and brought vast changes to the country.

One stamp depicts the 22nd United States Colored Troops engaged in the June 15-18, 1864, assault on Petersburg, Virginia, at the beginning of the Petersburg Campaign. The other stamp depicts Admiral David G. Farragut’s fleet at the Battle of Mobile Bay (Alabama) on August 5, 1864.

Cory Aquino paintings on stamps….

 

 

Here are new stamps on paintings  from Philippines . These special stamps feature paintings by “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino .Maria Corazon Sumulong “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th President of the Philippines, the first woman to hold that office, and the first female president in Asia. Aquino was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled the 20-year authoritarian rule of President Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy to the Philippines. She was named Time magazine’s “Woman of the Year” in 1986.

Aquino oversaw the promulgation of the 1987 Constitution, which limited the powers of the Presidency and re-established the bicameral Congress. Her administration gave strong emphasis and concern for civil liberties and human rights, and on peace talks to resolve the ongoing Communist insurgency and Islamist secession movements. Her economic policies centered on restoring economic health and confidence and focused on creating a market-oriented and socially responsible economy.

In 1996, Cory took an active interest in painting under the tutelage of artist Jeffrey Consumo. Next to prayer, painting became a favored mode of keeping her mind active and her sense of humanity intact. Although she has participated in a joint exhibit with friends and has sold some of her works to raise funds for her advocacies, she does not profess to be a professional painter. She likes to paint flowers and women, usually in oil or acrylic on canvas.

On March 24, 2008, Aquino’s family announced that Corazón had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. By July 2009, Aquino was reported to be in very serious condition, suffering from loss of appetite, and was confined to the Makati Medical Center. On August 1, 2009, the 76-year-old Aquino died peacefully at the Makati Medical Center at 3:18 a.m., of cardio respiratory arrest.

The designs of the stamps are as below :

• Stamp 1 – Enchanting Blossoms owned by METROBANK George TY
• Stamp 2 – Over flowing with good wishes owned by Miguel Belmonte
• Stamp 3 – Blooms of Unity owned by Lilia B. De Lima
• Stamp 4 – Fifth Painting owned by METROBANK George Ty
• Souvenir sheet – Rosary and Roses Series owned by Manny V. Pangilinan

Club News

New Rakhi Envelopes with advertisement

India Post issued new Rakhi Envelopes  for Rakshabandhan.

: Ankit Agrawal – Pune

Glasgow 2014 Cover from Royal mail

 

: Ravi Viswanathan - Hyderabad

Celebrating Abilities of Children with Disabilities

 

 

Pos Malaysia and UNICEF have joined forces to create a special set of stamps to celebrate the abilities of children with disabilities. The artwork featured on each of the three stamps were created by children with disabilities in Malaysia within the nationwide “Colours of My World” art contest, organised by Kakikreatif, Pos Malaysia and UNICEF.

Children between the ages of 13 and 17 years old who have been diagnosed with a physical, sensory or developmental disability are invited to submit their original artwork to illustrate their life, as well as their dreams and hopes for themselves and for Malaysia.

The three winning artworks displayed on the new stamps by Pos Malaysia are:

One Malaysia by IntanSyafienazBinti Mohamad Bakhid; 17 years old, Sitiawan, Perak; Physical Disability (Progressive Muscular Dystrophy):

“As a disabled child, I always want to get along with all the different ethnic groups (in Malaysia) that have good health. There are many disabled children in Malaysia just like me. They need help. Different people have difference abilities and weaknesses.”

Friendship World by Lovira Jospely 14 years old, Penampang, Sabah; Sensory disability (Deaf):

“This is the story about the deaf world. We are Malaysians and nothing can differentiate us as long as we have the heart and hands to listen and express it. We live in a harmonious world in which I have many friends from different cultures. People always think that our world is silent. I am an active girl. I am always involved in performances. I can act, dance and sing. This is because my hands sign the lyrics and my facial expressions convey the melody. I have a dream to travel around Malaysia, because this country has given me encouragement and support to fulfil my dreams. Love the ones who are called OKU (people with disabilities). Do not put them in a special place, but hold their hands and guide them every step of the way. God made us different in many ways and we are “special”.

ColoursOf My World by Stephanie Tam Zhu Shin, 14 years old, Shah Alam, Selangor
Development disability (Autism):

“Life is like a picture. I need to paint it colourful. There are flowers, butterflies, bubbles and birds in my world. They represent the peacefulness I receive as I live in this world.

The angel in the middle represents the people around me who are friendly and full of love. I also love music because it brings peace and happiness. What a wonderful and colourful world.”

New Special Covers

1st October 2013 : 100 Years of Mahila Seva Samaja, Bangalore

26 September 2013 : 16 Years of Indian Society of Neuroradiology

Courtesy : Jagannath Mani – Bangalore

Painting and Poetry on New Chinese stamps…

 

 

China Post issued a set of four special stamps “Poetry and Painting” featuring: Mountain and Flowing Water, Yi Qiu lesson believers, Huai pond, Michiko painted wall.

Piano, chess, calligraphy, painting stamps refer to four kinds of the ancient art of self-cultivation, also known as Masato. “Piano”, multi-fingered guqin, also known as “lyre”, is China’s oldest stringed instrument, subtle, deep, representing ancient Chinese musical culture. The “piano” stamp indicates the high status of a piano in the eyes of the ancients. The “chess” stamp, mainly referring to chess, contains the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture and spirituality. The “book”, referring to calligraphy is China’s unique heritage of civilization carrier. The “painting”, referring to the art to depict landscapes, objects, flowers, birds, characters, pure and bright colors, abstract impressionistic style, represents independent aesthetic system and distinctive national style.

Poetry and painting, profound, elegant style, carried from generation to generation, with distinct Chinese characteristics and profound cultural connotation, is a treasure of Chinese nation’s outstanding cultural heritage.

 

Special Cover from Kashmir   Sp covers  0n  World  Wetland Day  and Destination of Water Sports were  released by Chief Postmaster General, Jammu & Kashmir Circle in February and April 2013.

World Wetland Day – 2 February 2013 : Srinagar

Destination of Winter Sports : 20 April 2013 : Gulmarg

: Raj Kumar Chaudhary – Jamshedpur  email : coinrajkumar@gmail.com

 

Club News

Saudi 2013

29th Asian International Stamp Exhibition (Saudi 2013)

The Saudi Arabia Philatelic Society is going to organize Saudi 2013 - 29th FIAP Asian International Stamp Exhibition. The Exhibition will be held at Kingdom Shopping Mall, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 11 - 16 December 2013. It will be a 6-day General Asian International Stamp exhibition and will includes Traditional, Postal History, Youth, Literature and Modern Philately classes.

Website : http://www.saudi2013.com/ 

The last date for sending entry forms of Saudi 2013 is 25th July. Interested philatelists may send their entry forms to :

Umesh Kakkeri

G-6, Prathamesh co-op Hsg. Society,

off V.S.Marg, Prabhadevi

Mumbai 400025, (Maharastra

Philatelic Art

Bani Thani

Kishangarh is a town in Ajmer district  of Rajasthan.. It is the birthplace of the Kishangarh style of painting, which is known for the beautiful depiction of a courtesan known as Bani Thani. India Post issued a postage stamp featuring this famous painting on May 5, 1973.

In 1952, by sheer chance, a bundle of paintings wrapped in cloth were found dumped in the corner of an old fort in Kishangarh. On inspection they turned out to be one of the great treasures of Indian art, the Kishangarh miniatures, inspired by the divine lovers Radha and Krishna, and lost to the world for over 200 years.In 1778 the great exponent of the art of miniature painting, Nihal Chand, created the legendary face of the Kishangarh Radha, the quintessence of Indian womanhood and grace.

Stamps in Decorative Frame

 

Here is the famous painting “Bani Thani” featured on Indian Postage Stamp,  in a  more decorative style in a special frame  for Stamp and Art lovers .

Bhavya Crafts offers handmade handicraft Products. All done to Promote Women Power and Dedication and Work From Home Concept. Pictures, paintings and rangoli are decorated with beads, paints, glitter etc. which makes them sophisticated and wonderful.

Any Stamp design or painting can be decorated as per the requirement. For more details , please contact at email : info@virtualbizsolution.com