Slieve na Brock by Colin Middleton

Slieve na Brock by Colin Middleton
9p Stamp issued 1971 - United Kingdom

Middleton (1910-1983) trained at the Belfast Academy of Art and was heavily influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh.  His artwork was quite surreal in many respects.  In addition to being an artist, he was also a musician, theatre designer and poet.  In 1969 he was awarded an MBE and appointed an associate at the Royal Hibernian Academy, with full membership in 1970.

His work was one of three paintings in the Ulster '71 Festival stamp series:

Deer's Meadow by Thomas Carr

Deer's Meadow by Thomas Carr
7p Stamp issued 1971 United Kingdom

Carr was taught at the Slade School of Fine Art in London after selling an initial landscape painting in a local hotel during a three week holiday in Cassis, in the South of France. Commercially successful, this Northern Irish artist shunned adstractionism that was popular in the early stages of his career.  For much of his life he was a teacher and artist, living in the countryside of Northern Ireland in addition to living in Belfast from 1955.

This is one of three landscape paintings by Northern Irish artists that featured in an "Ulster '71 Festival" stamp issue:
TP Flanagan - A Mountain Road
Colin Midleton - Slieve na Brock

A Mountain Road by TP Flanagan

A Mountain Road, by TP Flanagan (1929-2011)
UK 3p Stamp issued 1971

TP Flanagan made a large contribution to the arts during his long career in Northern Ireland in the mid 20th century.  As well and being a teacher at the St Mary's Training College in Belfast until retirement in 1983, he had a parallel career as a professional artist in oils and watercolours was quietly flourishing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with awards, exhibitions, honours, a television film (TP Flanagan: Painter).

He and his family were close friends with the famous Irish poet, Seamus Heaney, who was quoted as saying: "As an artist, Flanagan has gone his own way, explored the Irish landscape and enhanced Irish landscape painting through the discovery andelaboration of an individual style."


This stamp is one of a series of three "Ulster Paintings" from the Ulster '71 festival on 16 June 1971:
Colin Middleton
Tom Carr

Louis Le Nain - Adoration of the Shepherds

Louis le Nain (1593-1648) - Adoration of the Shepherds (circa 1640)

Great Britain Stamp issued 1967

Held at the UK National Gallery 

 Louis le Nain was one of three brothers who were famous for depicting common scenes from peasant life, during a time when many artists were painting scenes of excessive richness and plentitude in other parts of Europe.  This religious scene made it to a Christmas stamp in the UK in 1967.

George Stubbs - Grey Stallion with Mares and Foals

George Stubbs (1724-1806) - Grey Stallion with Mares and Foals (1768)

Great Britain Stamp 9d Issued 1967

Painting held at the Tate Britain

This fellow was a legend in the art of drawing horses, after having spent 18 dubious months of his life carrying out a large number of dissections of horses, in order to learn about their anatomy.  This painting is one of many under this genre, and it was completed in 1768.

George Stubbs also painted other works of English landscapes and animals, but it is best known for his depictions of horses.  He sometimes painted these animals on a blank background, which was somewhat unusual for the time - his most famous work is probably Whistle Jacket.

L.S. Lowry - Children Coming Out Of School

L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) - Children Coming out of School (1927)

Great Britain Stamp issued 1967

20th Century Painting Series

Lawrence Stephen Lowry secretly held down a day job, while also being a famous painter during his lifetime, living around the Manchester area of England in the 20th Century.  This stamp was issued while we was still alive.  His works depict working class life in the north of England during the height of the industrial revolution. The Lancashire Local History website gives a lot more information about this artist.

John le Capelain - Landscapes from Jersey (Pt 1)

John Le Capelain (1812-1848)  - Title not known

Jersey 11p Stamp issued 1987 (Christmas)

It's been a little difficult to find information on the 19th century artists who painted in the style of Turner.  I've recently managed to locate the complete collection of stamps that depict his art, so these will be uploaded on the next few days.

I really like the way Le Capelain depicts light in the moody conditions that must be part of life in the Channel Islands - it really makes you want to go and visit Jersey.

Henry Raeburn - Self Portrait

Self Portrait

By Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823)

Painted 1815

National Gallery of Scotland Edinburgh

GB 5p Stamp Issued 1973

Bartolome Murillo - Madonna in the Clouds

Bartolome Murillo (1617-1682) - Madonna in the Clouds (1656-1660)

British 4d Stamp issued 1967

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Murillo was born into a family with thirteen siblings.  He grew up in Seville, which was a major trading city in Spain at the time, and it is thought that he was influenced by the popular Flemish painters.  He was most famous for his religious paintings, although he also completed a large number of paintings that captured contemporary Spanish life.  In 1642, he moved to Madrid, where he learned more about the works of Velazquez.  

Sir Joshua Reynolds - Self Portrait

Self Portrait

By Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)

Painted 1780

Royal Acedemy of Arts London

GB Stamp 3p Issued 1973

Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) - Master Lambton

Master Lambton (1825) - Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830)
Great Britain Stamp issued 1967
Private Collection

This portrait is also known as "Red Boy" and it was widely acclaimed during an exhibition in Paris in 1827.  Thomas Lawrence was a child prodigy, and he earned enough money to support his family from the age of 10.  He never married, although he had several public affairs, as his career was very accomplished.  He earned the custom of the Prince Regent, who would later become King George IV from 1820 to 1830.  While working for the Prince Regent, he completed portraits of many famous people in Europe, including Pope Pius VII - these works were destined for Windsor Castle.

Lawrence is one of the most famous romantic portrait artists of the regency age. This painting was completed for Lord Durham, who was a mining magnate at the time the work was   commissioned.  It is a painting of Lord Durham's son.

Sir Joshua Reynolds - Nelly O'Brien

Nellie O'Brien

By Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)

Painted 1762-4

Wallace Collection London

GB 7.5p Stamp Issued 1973

Sir Joshua Reynolds is best known for his portrait paintings of the rich and famous.  He studied the Old Masters of painting in Italy from 1749-1752, before becoming famous for his Grand Style portraits which aimed at portraying idealised versions of imperfect people.  He commanded expensive fees at the height of his career, and he was knighted by King George III in 1769.

Joseph Turner

Joseph Turner - British Landscape Artist

UK 10p Stamp Issued 1975

Query: Does anyone know the name of this painting?? :)

Henry Raeburn - Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch

Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch (1795) - Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823)

British Stamp GB Issued 1973

National Gallery of Scotland Edinburgh

Unknown Artist - The Darnley Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

Federigo Zuccaro (1540-1609) - The Darnley Portrait (Queen Elizabeth I) (1575)
Great Britain 4d Stamp Issued 1968
National Portrait Gallery, London

Note that this artist may not have been the painter of this important portrait of the queen, which was almost certainly created by the artist through a live sitting with the queen at the time.  This portrait is said to have started a trend in the composition of images of the virgin queen - she is portrayed in a very regal and serious manner, with pale features and ornate garments.