Latvijas Pasts issues a second stamp block in the series Outstanding Latvian Artists. The new release is devoted to Jānis Ferdinands Tīdemanis and features motifs from the artist’s works found both in the Latvian National Museum of Art and private collections. The first day cancellation of the stamp block is scheduled to take place in the Mūkusala Art Salon at 42 Mūkusalas Street, Riga, from 10 AM to 6 PM on the 26th of May 2017. The presentation of the stamps will be held in the same place at 11 AM and it will see the participation of the artist Lilija Dinere as well as representatives of Latvijas Pasts, the Mūkusala Art Salon, the Art Academy of Latvia and the Latvian Philatelic Society.
With the approach of the artist’s 120th anniversary, which will be marked on the 1st of October, Latvijas Pasts releases a two-stamp block dedicated to J. Tīdemanis in the series Outstanding Latvian Artists with a print run of 30,000 copies and a special cover with a print run of 1,500 copies. The face value of each stamp is € 0.50, which corresponds to the cost of sending a regular Class B letter within Latvia.
The visual design of the philatelic releases created by the artist L. Dinere is based on the pictorial reproduction of J. Tīdemanis’ painting Masks (Maskas) (1934) held in the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art as well as reproductions of his works of art City (Pilsēta) (1950s), Green Port (Zaļā osta) (circa 1950), Circus Clown (Cirkus klauns) (1950s), Walk Along the Port Embankment (Pastaiga ostmalā) (1937) and Bacchanalia (Bakhanālija) (1930s) from the Zuzāns’ collection.
A native of Ventspils, J. Tīdemanis had an enthusiastic personality steeped in adventure stories. He walked his own, innovative way in Latvian art. J. Tīdemanis received his education in Arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. At the end of the 1920s J.Tīdemanis caused a stir on the Latvian art scene, surprising the public with the themes of his paintings and a distinctively expressive painterly style, enriched with impressions of Belgian art. He painted portraits, still life, academy figures, landscapes as well as genre and figurative compositions. He was one of the first representatives of Latvian art to turn to the themes of an urbanised city and sports. In 1944 J. Tīdemanis emigrated to Germany, then to Switzerland and in 1948 – to Canada.
The first stamp block in the series Outstanding Latvian Artists was released in 2016 to honour the 150th anniversary of Janis Rozentāls.
