I shall now show my ongoing ignorance by asking...WHAT THE HECK IS THIS THING?
Click on image to see it larger.
I appreciate the beauty of the stamp, but profess complete ignorance as to what is being celebrated with flowers and a bird on a globe...under the St. Louis arch. Okay, I know it's some sort of earthmoving equipment, right? Digging dirt with a wheel with scoops. I look at it and think science fiction movie. I can hear the metal clanging, the sound of a steam engine, and birds flying away as fast as possible.
The artist of this piece was Josef Liesler.
Josef Liesler (19 September 1912 Vidolice near Kadaň - 23 August 2005 Prague) was a Czech surrealist painter, graphic designer, illustrator, exlibris and postage stamp designer.He studied art at University of the Architecture and Structural Engineering, Prague in 1934-38 under professors Cyril Bouda, Oldřich Blažíček, and Josef Sejpka. He became a member of S.V.U. Mánes (1942) and SČUG Hollar (1945). He illustrated over one hundred book titles and he created many drawings of postage stamps and exlibris. He received a UNESCO award for the finest stamp design (Hydrologic decade). His production is representated in many prominent Czech and international collections, including the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)
To see more of Liesler's work click here.
The engraver's name appears to be L. Housa, but I'm not sure. I have not found anything about an engraver named Housa.
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I'm kinda wondering about the mechanics. I'm not quite sure I understand where the earth goes that gets moved with this steampunk wheel of fortune.
ReplyDeleteIs this a steampunk windmill? Rims on an old-fashioned gangsta rapper's hooptie? Nipple orbitals from Janet Jackson's last world tour? It's beautiful but I've no idea what that is either. Cool way to send a letter, however.
ReplyDeleteOh I feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one going, "Huh?" There's a camaraderie in "huh?"
ReplyDelete