On January 6, 2025, La Poste is issuing a booklet of twelve postage stamps in which the solar star has inspired many artists from all eras and artistic movements.
Whether at its zenith or low on the horizon, the Sun has always inspired artists, each seeking to capture its dazzling and changing light. In this tribute to solar nuances, La Poste celebrates some of the most beautiful works in which the radiant star, a symbol of life and hope, illuminates the history of art with its glowing, golden or orange tones.
In Antiquity, the Egyptians deified it, the Greeks idolized it and the Romans saw it as a creative force. During the
Renaissance, the Sun took on a human form, before Impressionism and Symbolism reinterpreted its light. Monet, in the impression, soleil levant, creates the immediacy of sunrise through touches of misty colors, inspiring an entire artistic movement. Similarly, Munch’s Sun embodies the eternal force of life, and, in a flamboyant red, symbolizes the renewal of an independent Norway. More recently, Robert Delaunay’s abstraction invites us to perceive the Sun as a cosmic object with powerful colored circles, where joy and intensity mingle. Through these works, the Sun becomes both universal beauty and the promise of re-enchantment.
