From Pop Art to Stamp Art: relational relations?

In other words, from popular art (Pop Art) to stamp art (Stamp Art), as is evident from both stamps shown here. Nevertheless, the juxtaposition of Pop Art against Stamp Art is debatable. A caveat is necessary here: Stamp Art is certainly not equivalent to Pop Art in philately.

Following my question in Warhol's Pre-Pop Art article from a few weeks ago, a Freestamp reader drew my attention to this recently issued Belgian Pop Art stamp featuring just one can of Campbell's soup, whereas the artist has also placed numerous large quantities of it on an artwork.

How is it possible that, following the publication of the article on Andy Warhol's approach to two children's stamps from 1951, an article appears in the Leeuwarder Courant in which a graphic artist engages with stamps in a similarly playful and artistic manner?

StampArt demonstrates mastery

The 70-year-old artist Martine Jacobs (known under the pseudonym Hamar) created colored digital computer compositions, including of postage stamps, about 35 years ago during her pioneering days when the computer emerged (1994/96).

After the extensive clean-up of the attic a while ago, Martine found an artifact from the prehistory of the digital age under a blanket: her first massive personal computer with an Intel 486 processor. “The beast had only 3 MB of memory. There was no digital art scene yet, no Photoshop, and no gallery. Fortunately, after some searching, the device revealed all its long-kept secrets.”

Jacobs’s StampArt

StampArt is a standalone, unique series within the artistic work of Martine Jacobs. It consists of digital compositions, constructed from scanned vintage stamps from our country and those from other countries, combined with undefined motifs.

Playing with stamps: colorful computer composition

“Oh, I spent night after night drawing on that ancient computer. In doing so, I used all kinds of images and created a new digital composition from them, such as this children's stamp from 1960 featuring a Volendam girl in traditional costume,” wrote Martine Jacobs in the Leeuwarder Courant (August 21).

In the fragmented approach to the 6-cent children's stamp, alongside several elements of the Volendam girls' stamp, varying fragments of the perforation and stamp texts can also be distinguished. The origin of the girl depicted frontally in the center of the colorful composition cannot be determined. It does not originate from one of the four remaining 1960 children's stamps.

On Queen Wilhelmina's government jubilee stamp (1923), Martine Jacobs also managed to unleash her knowledge and skill in an imaginative manner, but in a completely different way. The stamp itself is largely clearly recognizable and reasonably 'intact'. The yellow and green in a patchy execution take their place as a 'cloud' in front of the stamp image. Due to the partially lined colorful 'roof crowning' of the stamp, the digital artwork appears to have turned into a 'tent-like' little building.

Playful stamp compositions

The integration or fusion of a stamp and a painting or sculpture has little or nothing to do with philately. On her Instagram page (external link), Gaike Bos shows how, alongside both 'stamp creations,' she manages to create a very playful, lively composition on the red background—a window display of flowers from the Mauritshuis stamp and some of her own works—without it serving a philatelic purpose, but purely as a visual game.

Day of the Stamp

In recent years, the production of the Day of the Stamp Issues has been characterized by a historical look back at old and classic stamp designs, advanced printing techniques such as rotation and mirror effects, and special multi-color printing.

The Day of Stamp Issues were initially part of the official issuance program, but as of 2022, they have been reclassified as the framed stamp issue version. The reason? This makes issuance costs considerably cheaper for the PostNL company. Which official issue will be 'promoted' to this stamp type next year?

Involvement of the postage stamp in the 'leading role'

I can well imagine that many have little or no appreciation for the playful handling of these 'stamp images', yet it is appealing to look at and enjoy them.

The 'artist-designers' at StampArt know how to detach the postage stamp from its 'function' as a means of franking and/or collector's item, and to handle it in a playfully creative way. Chance plays a major role in this.

The graphic designers of the Day of the Stamp *) on the other hand work purposefully on an artistic level with stamps from older dates and analyze their individual actions and images. With the found 'fragments', an entirely new and contemporary light is cast on the stamp.

*) The Day of the Stamp pays tribute to the classic stamp in both a literal and figurative sense, but at the same time, stamp collecting is promoted as a hobby that is becoming ever more expensive! Proof? As of January 2027, the letter postage of 1,40 euros will be increased by nearly 13% to approximately 1,58 euros.

As of January 2027, the letter postage of 1,40 euros will be increased by nearly 13% to approximately 1,58 euros.