Raphael - The Large Cowper Madonna (1508)

Raphael - The Large Cowper Madonna
USA 20c Stamp issued 1983
Painting held at the National Gallery of Art Washington

Raphael lived a relatively short life of only 37 years but he now upholds a reputation as one of the great High Renaissance painters, being active at the time of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Titian.  Indeed, this painting contains hints of da Vinci's style, as the figures are large, fulsome and closely framed - although it is difficult to determine from this particular stamp.  The painting conveys the close relationship between mother and child - the child is in a playful mood, looking out to the audience.  


This stamp was issued on  the 400th anniversary of Raphael's birth for Christmas 1983.  Raphael's paintings have been depicted on a large number of stamps over the years including others on this blog:
Self Portrait - Issued in San Marino
The Virgin and Child with John the Baptist in a Landscape - Issued in France

Rita Angus - Boats

Rita Angus - Boats, Island Bay (1963)

New Zealand 24c Stamp issued 1983

Private Collection

This is the final of four stamps that were issued in 1983 by New Zealand Post to commemorate the work of Rita Angus.  

From the Te Papa Gallery Website: 

One of Rita Angus’s best-loved paintings, Boats, Island Bay, celebrates the landscape and community of Wellington’s south coast. Fishing boats twist and bob on the tide, with the island of Tapu te Ranga on the horizon.

Angus’s friend Betty Curnow recalled visiting Island Bay with her:

‘Our days at Island Bay were enjoyable, with lots of things to laugh about. Rita watched absorbed, and remembered so much that was happening about her … All of her paintings were planned and worked out from absorbed and remembered things as well as from sketches – all with reason and purpose.’

Rita Angus - Tree

Rita Angus (1908-1970) - Tree (1943)

New Zealand 45c Stamp Issued 1983

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

This is one of four stamps issued in 1983 to depict the works of Rita Angus, one of New Zealand's most popular modern artists.  This work is simple and memorable.

Rita Angus painted this watercolour while staying at her sister’s house in Greymouth on the West Coast. When it rained for several days, she sat at the front window and sketched the cherry tree in the garden.

Angus may have identified with this solitary tree, about to break into bud with the arrival of spring. In the same week, she wrote: ‘I am very fortunate, it is as though my life is in two, I am beginning the second half, with a little wisdom from experience and knowledge, and a little genius. I am free to flower, if only for a few years.’ (Source: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa)

Rita Angus - Wanaka Landscape

Rita Angus (1908-1970) - Wanaka Landscape (1939)

New Zealand 35c Stamp Issued 1983

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

This is an earlier work by Rita Angus, who was featured in 4 stamps that were issued in 1983.   Wanaka is in the south central region of New Zealand's South Island.  This painting was completed by the artist on one of many trips that were made to this part of the country, as she was studying and working in Christchurch.

Rita Angus - Central Otago Landscape

Rita Angus (1908-1970) - Central Otago Landscape 1953-56

New Zealand 30c Stamp issued 1983

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Rita Angus was a well established New Zealand artist during the art deco period, with her work being heavily influenced by the cubism movement and Byzantine art. She lived in the South Island of New Zealand and was mainly known for landscape works.

This work is the result of a trip to Central Otago by the artist in 1953. The stamp is one of a series of 4 works by Rita Angus that were depicted on NZ stamps in 1983.

Ivan Khrutsky - Portrait of an Unknown Woman with Fruit

Ivan Khrutsky - Portrait of an Unknown Woman with Fruit

Painting completed in 1838 - USSR Stamp issued 1983

Art Museum of Belarus Minsk

This stamp was difficult to research, as it does not seem to appear in catalogues that are available freely on the internet.  

Ivan Khrutsky (1810-1885) was trained in St Petersburg and he was most famous for still life and some portraits early in his career, before moving onto landscapes when he moved away from St Petersburg later in his life.