French Fauve artist, Maurice de Vlaminck, seems to have been in a contest with the iconic Cubist, legendary womanizer, and notoriously egotistical, Pablo Picasso. What these two rebellious artists did have in common was an uncanny ability to innovate, to create something completely new. For Picasso, it was Cubism; for Vlaminck and his fellow Fauves, André Derain and Henri Matisse, it was the bright, expressive colors – likened to “fire crackers” – and outrageously unconventional depictions that earned the group their influential place in history. Vlaminck later railed against developments in modern art when, ironically, he was one of the true pioneers of modernist abstraction. Maurice de Vlaminck Paintings, Bio, Ideas | TheArtStory
Maurice Vlaminck (1876-1958) Still Life
Painted in 1907, Oil on canvas.
Donated to the Musée d’Orsay in 1973
Issued in 1976 by France
Designed by Pierre Béquet
Maurice de Vlaminck, a prominent French painter born on April 4, 1876, played a key role in the formation of the Fauvist movement. Alongside André Derain and Henri Matisse, he was one of the leading figures who revolutionized modern art with their use of intense and expressive colors. This group, known for their wild brushwork and vivid palette, challenged traditional artistic conventions and laid the groundwork for future avant-garde movements. Maurice de Vlaminck – A Key Member of the Fauvist Movement
French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas died September 27, 1917 in Paris, France.
Always remembered as an Impressionist, Edgar Degas was a member of the seminal group of Paris artists who began to exhibit together in the 1870s. He shared many of their novel techniques, was intrigued by the challenge of capturing effects of light and attracted to scenes of urban leisure. But Degas’s academic training, and his own personal predilection toward Realism, set him apart from his peers, and he rejected the label ‘Impressionist’ preferring to describe himself as an ‘Independent.’ … He was intrigued by the human figure, and in his many images of women – dancers, singers, and laundresses – he strove to capture the body in unusual positions. While critics of the Impressionists focused their attacks on their formal innovations, it was Degas’s lower-class subjects that brought him the most disapproval. Edgar Degas Paintings, Bio, Ideas | TheArtStory
The Star, by Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
Issued in 2017 by France
This United Nations initiative brings attention to the war being waged on vital universal ideals such as “freedom, respect for human rights and the principle of holding periodic and genuine elections by universal suffrage” that are the bedrock of a free, democratic society.
(International Day of Democracy | UNESCO)
For this celebration of democracy, I’ve picked the haunting, powerful Marianne image from France. The story of the Marianne stamp is more than one tale – it’s the story of a symbol of resistance and equality re-imagined over generations.
Marianne & Democracy
Part of the Marianne du Bicentenaire set issued by France in 2008
Designed by Yves Beaujard and engraved by Claude Jumelet
The Marianne images were supplied courtesy the excellent site Stamp World
The hard facts are sobering: According to a new study, the quality of democracy has deteriorated over the past 20 years in 137 countries that are considered developing or emerging economies. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation’s “Transformation Index,” there are now 63 democracies compared to 74 autocracies. In other words, states that tend not to have free elections or a functioning constitutional state.
In the last two years alone, shaped by a new geopolitical climate, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and the coronavirus pandemic, elections in 25 countries have been less free and fair than they were before, according to the study, which also found that in 39 countries freedom of expression and freedom of the press has been increasingly restricted. Democracies under threat around the globe – DW – 03/19/2024
This was posted in 2024 and the situation has deteriorated further.
French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac died August 18, 1850 in Paris, France.
Honoré de Balzac – For the Unemployed Intellectuals
This semi-postal stamp was part of a series started in the 1935 to support unemployed writers, artists and intellectuals.
A portion of the money raised from these stamps went towards the relief program L’Entr’aide des Travailleurs Intellectuels“(E.T.I.).
Designed and engraved by Antonin (Jean) Delzers
Honoré de Balzac is one of the most emblematic writers of the French novel. Born on 20 May 1799 in Tours and died prematurely on 18 August 1850 in Paris, he was the author of La Comédie humaine. The Balzacian novel, whether adored or criticized, remains unavoidable today; some characters in La comédie humaine such as Père Goriot, Rastignac or César Birotteau have become true literary legends. Honoré de Balzac: biography, bibliography, discography, filmography | Fnac
Le Figaro. Sunday Literary Supplement devoted to Balzac on his death
Publisher: Le Figaro (Paris)
Publication date: 1881-08-20
Catalogue record: http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb34
Movie star Rin Tin Tin died a peaceful death August 10, 1932.
German Shepherd (Canis lupus familiaris)
Issued by France in 2011 as part of their Dog Breeds set
Since there are no good stamps devoted to Rin, I’ve opted for a stamp from his birthplace
The super star German Shepherd was born in France in 1918. One of five puppies and their mother rescued by Corporal Lee Duncan of the U.S. Army Air Service. He was scouting locations for a new airfield for the 135th Aero Squadron when he came upon badly damaged dog kennel. The dogs were being raised for the Imperial German Army, but abandoned when artillery fire became too fierce. Left behind was the starving mother and her new born puppies.
Duncan rescued them and nursed them back to health. He gifted the mother to an officer and gave three pups to fellow soldiers, keeping two – Rin Tin Tin and Nanette.
Officers and men of the 135th Aero Squadron with their mascot Rin Tin Tin shortly after his rescue as a puppy in 1918
Public domain image
Corporal Duncan smuggled Rin Tin Tin and Nanette aboard the ship taking him back to the US. When he landed, the dogs were temporarily given over to a breeder and dog trainer during their processing period. While there, Nanette became ill with pneumonia died. Duncan was give a second female German Shepherd and named her Nanette II. Once reclaimed, Duncan and his dogs headed for California by train.
Determined to have his athletic and photogenic Rin Tin Tin appear in movies, Duncan began walking him up and down a street near Hollywood’s many studios, chatting up anyone connected to films. Eventually he was in the right place at the right time when the director of the 1922 The Man from Hell’s River became desperate for a wolf replacement. The wolf they were using proved to be uncooperative and difficult to work with. Rin Tin Tin, on the other hand, was a happy, obedient dog who excelled in the the role. Not only that, he looked wonderful on screen. More offers followed.
The big dog proved to be a fan favourite and soon landed a staring role in 1923.
Where the North Begins (1923) Rin Tin Tin’s first staring role.
Rin Tin Tin would go on to star in 29 movies.
Before silent films surrendered to sound, Rin-tin-tin was earning $6,000 a week. The dog received bags of fan mail, keeping publicists busy sending out photos, each stamped with a pawprint. Millions regarded Rin-tin-tin as we all do our own pooches. “He is a human dog,” one fan wrote, “human in the real big sense of the word.” HOLLYWOOD’S TOP DOG — RIN-TIN-TIN
A Dog of the Regiment (1927) movie poster
People flocked to theatres to see their favourite star in both feature films and multi part serials. They couldn’t get enough of the noble, brave dog.
Why was he called “Rin Tin Tin” in those films? Dog names don’t seem hard to think of. His name was used because giving him a different name, even within the fictional world of a particular film, seemed to fritter away some of his star power. Rin Tin Tin was not just an actor, but also a kind of franchise, no matter what character he was playing. Whether he was playing a half-breed wild dog in Alaska, say, or a soldier dog in World War I or a borax miner’s companion dog somewhere out west, he was always, foremost, Rin Rin Tin.
Using his name also made it seem that Rin Tin Tin existed within the film and outside of the film at the same time. Within the film, he was a cinematic character in some cinematic predicament, existing in some other place or time. Outside the film, he was Rin Tin Tin, the famous actor dog. Rin Tin Tin and the Power of Story | by Drew Coffman | The Extratextual | Medium
The Lone Defender (1930) movie poster for 12 part serial
On a warm August day, Rin Tin Tin let our a peculiar bark, alerting Duncan that something was wrong. He rushed to his dog’s side, only to find him dying. Obituaries appeared in all the major newspapers, including the New York Times. Rin’s press agent claimed the dog died in the Jean Harlow’s arms.
“RIN TIN TIN DIES AT 14 ON EVE OF ‘COMEBACK’; Film Dog Had Been Signed for Talkie — Son Trained as Under- study Will Take the Role.” NYT August 11, 1932, Page 17
He was buried at his home, with his funeral attended by many celebrities.
Hopefully this satisfies someone’s Dog of the Day quota. Mea Culpa.
