France 1951 - Modern Poets (Part 2)

It can ignite our deepest passions. It can awaken such emotional beasts as sadness and despair. It enables us to live vicariously through the magical use of words, whether in metre or rhyme. This is Poetry.

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Paul-Marie Verlaine, born 30 March 1844, was a French poet whose work is associated with the Decadent movement. The Decadent movement was, at the time of Verlaine, a shattering new style with lurid themes such as self-disgust, general skepticism, delight in perversion, crude humor, and a belief in the superiority of human creativity over logic and the natural world. Indeed, this movement was considered the fin de siècle or turn of the century movement.

Verlaine considered himself, along with a host of contemporary poets such as Stéphane Mallarmé, Arthur Rimbaud, Aloysius Bertrand, Comte de Lautréamont, and Alice de Chambrier, to be a poète maudit "cursed poet". He and the other poets mentioned were scorned by critics for their new, brash style of poetry. But in 1886, just two years after calling himself a cursed poet, opinions were to change based on the publication of Jean Moréas' Symbolist Manifesto. This book introduced the idea of symbolism, and suddenly Decadent poetry and all its subtleties began to make some sense. Now Verlaine and other poets were being termed "Symbolists". Verlaine's work studied the notions of human will, fatality. the power of unconscious forces, and - quite radically - the theme of sex in various forms, including with prostitutes. Themes associated with delirium triggered by narcotics and alcohol were also to be found.

Despite the use of such strong themes, Verlaine pointed out the need for subtle suggestion as opposed to brutal statement. His purpose was "to evoke moods and feelings through the magic of words..." (Wikipedia). Verlaine actually described his style - this "turn  of the century" style - in great detail in his poem Art Poétique. He stresses the importance of musicality and elusiveness. Further, he stresses:

"Keep away from the murderous Sharp Saying, Cruel Wit, and Impure Laugh." 

As was the case with so many artistic minds of this era, Paul Verlaine was addicted to drugs and alcohol. In his later years he lived in the slums of Paris and public hospitals. He was often seen in cafes drowning his sorrows with copious glasses of absinthe. His drug and alcohol abuse finally got the better of him. He died in Paris at the age of 51 on 8 January 1896. 

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On 27 October 1951, France issued a set of three stamps celebrating modern French poets. The 12f value of the set depicts Paul-Marie Verlaine. This stamp was designed by Paul-Pierre Lemagny and engraved by Charles-Paul Dufresne. You will note that  the stamp featured in Part 1 of this series was also designed by Paul-Pierre Lemagny. An immensely talented designer. It is worth mentioning that the portrait of Verlaine used in this stamp was based on a portrait by Eugène Carrière.

The composition of this stamp is fantastic.I love the way Verlaine stares directly at us, the viewer, as if ruminating on a new piece of poetic elusive symbolism. The design is also packed with stunning minute detail. Dufresne has done a masterful job in rendering the abundant flora to the left of the stamp. I particularly like, being a fan of engraved beards, the copious beard and moustache of Verlaine. In all, a brilliant composition. See below for a couple of close-ups.

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Until next time...

France 1951 - Modern Poets (Part 1)

Poetry can capture the mind, ensnare the soul, and grip the heart. It is the language of love and sorrow, the artistic expression of our deepest emotions. 

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Charles Baudelaire, born 9 April 1821, was a French poet who possessed an original style of what can be considered prose-poetry. For the 19th century it was a radical, almost brutal, new style. Indeed, he himself is said to have coined the phrase "modernity". He uses this phrase to illustrate the fleeting nature of life in an ever-growing urban metropolis, in this instance Paris. He points out that it is the responsibility of the poet to capture this experience through the beauty of words. This theme is most evident in what can be considered his most famous collection of poems, entitled Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil). According to one commentator at the time, his work was:

"immense, prodigious, unexpected, mingled with admiration and with some indefinable anxious fear". (Wikipedia)

If nothing else, Baudrlaire's work was bold. Indeed, in a poem entitled Au lecteur (To the Reader), which he uses as a preface to the collection, he actually goes so far as to accuse his readers of hypocrisy and of being as guilty of sins and lies as he himself. Pretty audacious!

... If rape or arson, poison or the knife

Has wove no pleasing patterns in the stuff

Of this drab canvas we accept as life—

It is because we are not bold enough! (Wikipedia)

Baudelaire was not only a poet. He was a skilled essayist and art critic. He was also a fan of the work of Edgar Allan Poe, and he spent quite a deal of his time translating his work into French. Baudelaire's unique style and honest approach to the modern lifestyle in his work has inspired a whole generation of poets including Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud and Stéphane Mallarmé to name just a few.

Baudelaire's addiction to laudanum, opium, and excessive drinking finally took  its toll on his body. In 1866 he suffered a massive stroke. He lived a further year in a semi-paralysed state. He died in Paris on 31 August 1867, aged just 46. Most of his poetry we are now familiar with was published posthumously by his mother to help recover some of the substantial debts he incurred due to his life  of "excesses".

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On 27 October 1951, France issued a set of three stamps celebrating modern French poets. The 8f, and lowest, value of the set depicts Charles Baudelaire. This stamp was designed by Paul-Pierre Lemagny and engraved by Jean Pheulpin. I believe this is the first time I have featured a stamp engraved by Pheulpin in this blog. What a dreadful oversight. This engraver oozes talent, as you can see in the gorgeous stamp below.

The surreal, dreamlike quality of this design is truly breathtaking. There is detail in every nook and cranny. From the rather poignant depiction of a pensive Baudelaire to the owls off the right. And from the tall ship powering toward the left border of the stamp to the feral, somewhat demonic creature floating at the top left of the composition. Wow! Below I have included a few detail pictures, simply because I think this amazing design deserves some close-ups. Enjoy.

Until next time...

France 1935 - Unemployed Intellectuals Stamps

It would become known as Black Tuesday. The stock market crash on October 29, 1929, had devastating ramifications, plunging the globe into The Great Depression. In France, the Depression didn't take root until 1931, but between 1931 and 1935, as its effects assumed a tighter stranglehold on the country, there was a marked increase in unemployment levels. Struck particularly hard were those previously employed in intellectual and artistic pursuits. In fact, jobs for intellectuals and artists had been on the decline since the conclusion of World War I. Indeed, a body known as the CTI (Confederation of Professional Workers) was created in 1919 in an attempt to aid intellectuals in re-injecting themselves into the workforce. So what exactly was the definition of an intellectual? According to the CIT:

"An intellectual worker is one who derives his livelihood from a work in which the effort of the mind, with what it entails, initiative and personality, usually prevails over physical effort " (Chariot, 2006) 

But however noble the cause of the CIT, it was not all that successful. Then on 6 February 1933, a body known as Help for Intellectual Workers (ETI) was created. This body and its president, Paul Grunebaum-Ballin, seemed to have far more insight than the CIT regarding potential schemes for the establishment of work for intellectuals and how to raise money to implement these schemes. One such scheme used as  its model an idea implemented in the US. Basically the idea was to provide jobs for intellectuals in public libraries performing such tasks as the "classification of books and the establishment of directories and catalogs." (Chariot, 2006)  But how does one raise funds to implement such an initiative? Simple. Surtax postage stamps!

"Surcharge stamps are "special stamps": the stamp has franking value only for its face value without the surcharge. It is not used to pay for a postal service. It is usually paid to a charity (In this case, intellectual aid)." (Chariot, 2006)

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On 9 December 1935, France issued a set of two stamps, printed in recess, for the benefit of unemployed intellectuals. Master engraver, Achille Ouvré, was commissioned to design and engrave one stamp. The other stamp in the set was designed by René Grégoire and engraved by Omer Désiré Bouchery. Interestingly, this is the one and only stamp Omer Désiré Bouchery engraved for France. He was known primarily for his illustrations. A bit of a shame he didn't engrave more stamps; he certainly had a talent for it.

The stamp designed by René Grégoire and engraved by Omer Désiré Bouchery had a value of 50c with a surcharge of 10c to aid those unemployed intellectuals we spoke of earlier. This stamp features France, personified as a woman, lending aid to an intellectual. Interestingly, the setting of this stamp lends itself to the environment of a library.

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The stamp designed and engraved by Achille Ouvré, and a favourite of mine, had a value of 50c with a surcharge of 2f, a much higher surcharge than the previous stamp. Perhaps a surcharge that was too steep, but we'll get to that in a moment. In this stamp we see a beautiful young woman representing the arts, holding a small lyre. Truly stunning.

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Then on 14 October 1936, a little under a year later, this stamp was reissued with a brand new overprinted surcharge of 20c. Was 2f simply too much money to expect the average citizen to pay? Maybe. Maybe not. But it certainly makes for an interesting addition to any Ouvré collection.

Until next time...

I Muse...On Another Engraver to Study

I'm fairly certain that I'm not alone in thinking that over the years the French Post has had many, many incredibly talented artists on their payroll engraving stamps. So many in fact that it can be rather overwhelming trying to collect all of their amazing work. My strategy to date has been to choose a particular engraver, and then spent some time getting to know their work and their style. And along the way start putting together the bones of a collection.

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Most recently I've become intrigued by the work of Jules Piel. I haven't looked at much of his work yet, but what I have seen really impresses me. His first engraving, which was part of a definitive set for Andorra in 1932 is a true thing of beauty. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the design, which was printed in six values, just yet. But I did find the below image. 

Between 1932 and 1966 Jules Piel was a prolific engraver for both France and her various colonies. For a full bio, check out this blog post HERE. Indeed, many iconic French stamps were the work of this master engraver. Perhaps the most important of these was a set depicting Marshall Pétain, issued in 1941. 

Commencing in 1950, France began issuing a set of stamps on an annual basis with a surcharge to go to the Red Cross. Jules Piel engraved this first set of Red Cross stamps. In fact, he contributed to every set until his retirement from the French postal authority in 1966. And I was delighted to discover that not only did Jules Piel rack up an extensive array of stamps, but he also engraved quite a few banknotes! I must say, I'm really looking forward to delving more deeply into the work of this prolific artist.

Until next time...