Sydney Parkinson & J. F. Miller - Banksia Serrata

Banksia Serrata - Original Engraving by Sydney Parkinson (1770) 

& Water Colour Painting by J. F. Miller (1773) 

Australian Pre-Stamped Envelope Issued in 1986

Watercolour held at the British Museum (Natural History Unit), London

Sydney Parkinson was an artist who created a prolific number of engravings aboard James Cook's Endeavour during its voyage to Australia and the Pacific in the 1770s.  This is an image of one of Australia's most instantly recognisable and distinctive plants, being the Banksia.   The banksia was named after Joseph Banks, who was also a member of this voyage.  The image was originally designed as an engraving, which was later developed into a watercolour once the voyagers had returned back to London.

Sydney Parkinson's work provided us with a large number of images that document European first impressions of the Australian continent.  He was depicted on a stamp in 1984.

 

This is one of the earliest examples of European based art in Australia - the primary interest of one of documenting new scientific discoveries.  

Alberto Magnelli - Virginia

Alberto Magnelli (1888-1971) - Virginia (1914)

France Stamp Issued 1986

Musee Municipal Vallauris

Magnelli was an Italian artist who gained some fame in the early 20th century as an artist, despite lacking a formal art education.  When in Paris, he met Picasso and adopted a cubist style of painting around the time when this painting, Virginia, was completed.   He later went onto paint in a futurist style.

Zainul Abedin - Levelling the Ploughed Field

Zainul Abedin  জয়নুল আবেদিন (1914-1976) - Levelling the Ploughed Field (1943)

Bangladesh 10T stamp issued 1986

Abedin work became famous during the Bengal famine of 1943, when he composed a number of sketches of life in the rural parts of Bangladesh.  This famine occurred during the middle of WWII after the fall of Singapore and the subsequent invasion of neighbouring Burma by the Japanese.  During this period of extreme hardship, Adebin's modern art gained wide recognition.

Quamrul Hassan - Happy Return

Quamrul Hassan (1921-1988) - Happy Return

Bangladesh Stamp issued 1986

Quamrul Hassan is a famous artist whose art also played a part in the political history of Bangladesh.  Born and university educated in Kolkata, India and having moved to Dhaka (Bangladesh) during the partition of India, his artwork is heavily influenced by Bengal folk art.  This artwork is consistent with many other works by this artist who used bright watercolours, in addition to often depicting life for women in rural areas of the country.  He also designed the Bangladeshi flag.  

Titian - St Mary Magdalene

St Mary Magdalene (c. 1530-1535) - Titian

Russia Stamp Issued 1986

Galleria Palatina Florence, Italy