Seize the Day

Treat Her Like a First Lady

July 12th, 2010

The incomparable African-American artist Thomas Blackshear is about to do it again. He is about to offer a Michelle Obama figurine to compliment his previous Barack Obama statuette.

When I first saw mention of this product, I said to myself, “Self, what a novel concept! A companion piece for a presidential collectible.” Much like the typical Commander-in-Chief himself had during his stint in the White House. After all, as far as collectibles are concerned, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Behind every great man is a great woman. No man is an island. He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing.

(Must…stop…cliches…)

So I started to wonder if there were other sets of President/First-Lady tandem collectibles out there. Well, it turns out that I wasn’t paying attention. There are quite a few of these sets out there, other than that of the Obamas. (And for those of you who’ve known about these others for a while now, act like my Momma and pretend as if I’ve made a profound series of discoveries… )

Before I get started, I’d like to point out that many of these collectibles have been discontinued in stores and/or are no longer for sale at online e-tailers. To get these products, you will have to pick them up from private sellers at your favorite auction site. For any item that is available to the general public, I will point you to it, via link or otherwise.

As Good as Gold

The United States Mint has started a First Spouse Program that features every one of the presidential mates on her very own $10 pure gold coin. As you can see, the issue year of each first lady’s coin coincides with the respective release of her husband’s $1 coin. You can read the rest of the details of this program at the usmint.gov page.

I mentioned before how a lot of presidential collectibles use the presidents’ portraits as starting points. Well the same truth holds for the men’s wives: check out the following gallery and see if you don’t notice a strong correlation between the official portraits of the First Ladies and their minted coin depictions.

In my opinion this gold set is, in a word, “sublime.” From the sublime, let’s now move on…

Billary

Hillary Clinton nutcracker

…to the ridiculous.

In the not-so-flattering-but-funny-as-heck department, we have the Hillary Clinton nutcracker and the Bill Clinton corkscrew. Apparently, they’ve both been around for a minute. How I missed them all these months/years, I will never know.

The former plastic device is related to (I can’t think of better words; “in honor of” is just so wrong.) the former first lady, former senator, and current Secretary of State. You can obviously see what it does. I guess the item is a bit of a ball-busting reference (I’m very naive).

Bill Clinton corkscrew

The latter item, in homage (that doesn’t sound quite right either) to the 42nd chief executive of the United States, is also a plastic contraption. As you can imagine, it can be used for uncorking wine bottles. I believe that you have noticed by now where the metal screw originates, so I will now pause a moment and allow you to insert your own joke(s) here.

…

You can find both of these irreverent items at the place where a mighty South American river flows in the rainforest. (*hint*)

The Adams Family

If you go back to the US Mint website, you will notice from the presidential spouses product description that the mint will also be issuing bronze (non-legal tender) medals for each first lady’s coin. You will also see that Abigail Adams, the wife of the 2nd president John Adams, was honored with her coin and bronze medal in 2007. What you might not know is that several of her struck medals erroneously pictured Louisa Adams, and not Abigail, on their reverse sides. And in case you didn’t follow Louisa Adams link, she was Abigail’s daughter-in-law; and married to the future president, Abigail’s son, John Quincy Adams.

As you can imagine, these “mules”, which are basically rare mistakes in minting, of the Abigail Adams’ coin are worth a lot of money each. (I heard that one sold for nearly $1000 at auction. That’s a lot for a collectible barely three years-old.) And needless to say, they are very hard to find.

You might have better luck finding a John Adams Bicentennial Silver Medal. Why not? It only debuted about 36 years ago and has not been minted for most of that time.

John Adams Bicentennial Silver Medal obverse side

John Adams Bicentennial Silver Medal reverse side

Guy and Dolls

That Jackie O was an absolute doll when she was alive…

Actually, she still is today. The Jacqueline Kennedy Porcelain Heirloom Bride comes dressed as the First Lady of Camelot was on her wedding day.

Apparently, at one time, Franklin Mint also sold a John F Kennedy doll or two including a Heirloom Groom to go with the Jackie Bride. The groom figure, also made of porcelain, wore…well, exactly what Jack wore when he got married.

But, alas, Franklin Mint stocks JFK dolls no more. (I searched the site. And besides, you’d think his dolls would be listed under the “You May Also Like” section if they were available.) I did find one of his dolls on craigslist. If you search, you might find one also, depending on where you live. (Unfortunately, transactions at that site go rather quickly so it would be pointless to link to any particular listing; it would probably have expired by the time you got there, anyway…)

Oh look, a Marilyn Monroe Doll is also available.

John & Jackie Kennedy get married, 1953.

John & Jackie Kennedy bride and groom heirloom dolls

**She’s not going to wear that, is she?**

If you take a look at the product description for Michelle Obama’s figurine, you will see that her dress is yet to be declared. But, in case you didn’t know, Mr Obama’s figurine is wearing the ensemble he wore on election night of November 4, 2008 (you can tell by his tie and his flag pin). So I wouldn’t mind seeing Michelle’s figure dressed in what she wore that night. Or what she wore during her husband’s inauguration ceremony the following January.

Michelle Obama inaugural ballgown

As a matter of fact, I, personally, have only one request wardrobe-wise: please put her in anything but the gown she wore to the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball (below).

Michelle Obama is a dignified, smart, and stately woman; a first lady befitting any President. So with all that said, what was the thought process involved in designing something for her big night? “Let’s take one of the (soon-to-be) most admired women in America and put her in a gown. But not just any gown. The top half of the dress, with one thick strap and an overall fuzzy appearance, should like a caveman outfit. And the skirt of the dress should look like curtains you hang in your home’s guest bedroom…”

And I know I’m probably in the minority as far as opinions about that dress are concerned. Many people actually liked it.

No R-E-S-P-E-C-T

However Blackshear decides to dress Mrs. Obama (and by the time you read this post, you the reader might have the advantage of knowing what I don’t already know), this porcelain commemoration is well-deserved. As a matter of fact, it’s nice to see the first ladies, in general, finally get their just dues. For a while there it was starting to look as if these women were the Rodney Dangerfields of American history…

Tags: Adams family collectibles, Adams family medals, Barack Obama collectible, Barack Obama figurine, Barack Obama statuette, Bill Clinton collectible, collectible gold coins, first ladies, first lady collectibles, First Lady Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton collectible, Jackie O bride, Jackie O collectible, Jackie O doll, Jacqueline Kennedy bride, Jacqueline Kennedy collectible, Jacqueline Kennedy doll, JFK collectible, JFK doll, JFK groom, John F. Kennedy collectible, John F. Kennedy doll, John F. Kennedy groom, Michelle Obama ballgown, Michelle Obama collectible, Michelle Obama figurine, Michelle Obama statuette, presidential collectibles, presidents, Thomas Blackshear artist, Thomas Blackshear collectibles
Posted in Political Collectibles & Memorabilia | 4 Comments »

Free at Last…

July 4th, 2010

Go, America! It’s your birthday!

Where the *bleep* did that come from? And how did it get so HUGE?

On this 4th of July, I don’t want to imply that there are critical issues facing our country. But let’s just say the President has a lot to deal with…

The good news is, for those of us fortunate enough to have temporarily gained our independence from our taskmasters, it’s vacation time. (Did I say “taskmasters?” I meant “teachers and bosses.”) So hit the road, because this summer, travel expenses are all on British Petroleum.

Okay, that’s not entirely true (read, it’s a complete lie). But wouldn’t it be special if BP, as a measure of good faith towards the United States, offered every single American driver a free tank of gas? Wouldn’t it??

I mean, for the love of one-nation-under-God, it’s our friggin’ birthday and whatnot…

Tags: America, British Petroleum, freedom, holidays, Independence Day, July the 4th, summer, United States
Posted in Symbolism | 1 Comment »

Top 9 Artful Motown Album Covers

June 25th, 2010

Forgive me, y’all, but I didn’t Remember The Time of year it was. June is Black Music Month. And what is more quintessentially “Black Music” than the offerings of the legendary Motown record label?

Now I don’t mean to wax nostalgic. But, with apologies to the compact disc (CD), there’s nothing like the look, the feel, and the smell of an old-time LP (Long Play) record. Moreover, holding the cardboard packaging that contains the LP, in anticipation of playing the album, is a Thriller unto itself.

This blog entry features a list of Motown LP covers, and LP covers of Motown subsidiary labels (Tamla Records and Gordy Records), with art-based themes. And by “art-based” I mean to Say Say Say having no (or very little) photographic elements. Just about every aspect of these album covers were hand-created by fine artists from scratch (allowing for visual special-effect applications over the years).

Since the late 80s saw the LP being largely replaced (by the CD) as the album-release format to Enjoy Yourself musically, all of the albums on this list will be ones released prior to 1988. Coincidentally (or maybe as a consequence of the LP phaseout), the “classic” Motown period is defined, by the labels very website, as the period from 1959 – the company’s year of inception – until 1988.

Although my intent is to mention the most aesthetically pleasing covers in Motown’s history, there are two things I’d like the reader to keep in mind. One, I have to admit, I included 2 or 3 of the albums for their audio content (your Mom always said it’s what’s on the inside that counts). And secondly, while I will try to include the best of the best in graphics, Another Part Of Me will try to represent for as many of the legendary Motown acts as possible.

And I know that you’re asking, “Why 9, per se?” Because 8, contrary to popular opinion, is not enough, and 10 is cliched…

Here are the albums, along with their years of release:

#9: Songs in the Key of Life, 1976. The art is not necessarily stellar, but it ain’t half Bad. The reason the cover is memorable is because the album is so memorable: the production is one of the most critically-acclaimed and universally-loved albums not only in Stevie Wonder’s career, but in Motown’s history.

#8: Any art cover featuring the embellished Commodores logo. Take your pick of albums: Commodores (self-titled, 1977), Natural High (1978), or Midnight Magic (1979). The logo (see photo) is an iconic one, and long after the LP sporting it has stopped Jamming, it’s still branded on the brain.

#7: Garden of Love, 1980. Let’s face it, it was in Rick James Human Nature to indulge and revel in carnal excess. So to see him depicted trying to survive in some floral utopia with (or should I say, “despite?”) a bevy of babes, is wholly believable. For any other singer, you’d think this art cover was based on some outlandish, surreal fantasy strictly out of the artist’s imagination.

Not for James.

#6: Super Hits, 1970. Look, up in the sky. Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No. It’s Marvin Gaye, the most soulful singer who ever lived, with rescued honey in tow. And he’s brought a compilation album of great hits and searing ballads to save the day and Heal The World.

#5: Here, My Dear, 1978. Another Marvin Gaye art cover… The entire double-album, as you can see, has the feel of ancient Greece, complete with architecture and a toga-ed Gaye. Looking at the LP, I don’t know whether to hit the dance floor or erect a statue to a mythological god…

Needless to say, the cover is a little Off the Wall, and it’s certainly not for everyone. But this blogger likes it.

#4: 20 Golden Greats, 1979. You know I had to rep for her; I just couldn’t do her Dirty. Diana Ross, “the most successful female music artist in history” (according to the Guinness Book of World Records), has to be somewhere on this list.

This is another one of those covers that gets on this list on the merit of music content. The artistic theme/concept is not that remarkable (it’s basically all about Ross’ pretty face). But any of the recordings in Ms Ross’ solo Motown career that ever amounted to anything is on this album. For that kind of audio repertoire, her fans will learn to love this cover’s art.

#3: Dancing Machine, 1974. In just about any Motown list, you know the Jackson 5 has also Got To Be There. And this is the only album in the group’s discography that I could find that fit the theme of this article. So here you have cover art featuring the label’s chart-busting sibling quintet, with some serious ‘fros intact.

#2: Easy, 1969. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell: the most compatible duo to come along in African-American music since Rhythm met Blues. See their easy-going, care-free demeanor, captured in art-form for all of posterity. Listen to those easy-flowing, amorous lyrics on their album. It’s like these two were born to be together, born to make beautiful music together. Both of them, Gone Too Soon.

It’s easy to get sentimental about Gaye and Terrell.

#1: I Want You, 1976. Far and away my favorite album cover but not for the reason you would think (or maybe it is). In contrast to his other album covers on this list, singer Marvin Gaye is not depicted anywhere here. What is prominently shown is a painting by the great African-American visual artist Ernie Barnes, artwork featured (as many of you may know) at the end of many episodes of the classic 70s sitcom Good Times. The piece is a part of American television lore, something audiences saw week in and week out. For my money, you can’t Beat It.

In conclusion, Motown has a history of noteworthy album covers that are just not artistic in nature (and thus they are beyond the scope of this blog). Several recording artists did not seem to have any art covers (the Temptations and the Miracles come to mind) , while others had more than their normal share (I found it Dangerous trying to select between five or six Marvin Gaye joints, while 3 or 4 Stevie Wonder LPs deserved consideration).

So if you are a fan of the “The Motown Sound,” You Are Not Alone. What’s your opinion about your favorite classic Motown offerings (albums and records)? I’d like to hear from you…

(Continue to rest in peace, MJ. I hope you appreciate how hard it was to work in some of your song titles. )

Tags: African American music, Afro-American music, album art, album covers, albums, black music, ethnic music, LP albums, LP cover art, LP covers, LP records, Marvin Gaye, Marvin Gaye albums, Marvin Gaye LPs, Marvin Gaye records, Michael Jackson records, Michael Jackson song titles, Motown albums, Motown art, Motown covers, Motown LPs, Motown music, Motown records, negro music, recording albums
Posted in African American Art | 2 Comments »

Afro-American Father’s Art, Creating for Everyone Today (A. F.A.C.E.T.) in the Community

June 17th, 2010

When I blogged about motherhood in African American art, I mentioned two select negro artists (Sylvia Walker and Charles Bibbs) who valued maternity. In honor of Father’s Day, let’s, this time, spotlight one artist who really seems to get the notion of Pops…

Cbabi Bayoc is a product of St. Louis, Missouri, and there is more to his moniker than first meets the eye. His forename is shorthand for “Creative Black Artist Battling Ignorance,” while his surname is an acronym for “Blessed African Youth Of Creativity.” In terms of relevance to this blog topic, Bayoc himself is a dad to three kids (which, as you will see, is why he has such insight into fatherly love). So if you visit his personal artistic website, you will see many works devoted to the theme of fatherhood.

Cbabi Bayoc, along with his wife, also manage a confectionery store in the STL. There you the customer can satisfy both your sweet tooth and your love of fine black art at the same time. The duo have a bakeshop and studio website to represent their shop, so you can get a sense of what their establishment is all about.

In perusing both of his online sites, I noticed that Bayoc’s “pop” art exhibits certain recurring themes, and several of his pieces seem to cover more than one theme each. Now, I can’t link directly to any single art piece due to the flash nature of his domains. (Which is a small quibble I have with the sites: the extensive use of the flash app, again, makes it harder for web surfers to reference specific items; and, also, relevant graphic aspects of both sites might get buried in search engine results.) But I will try to point out each particular item by stating either its specific category and its sequence number under the “artwork” link at cbabibayoc.com, or just its sequence number in the paintings subcategory under the “sweet/art pics” link at the SweetArt site. (I hope that’s clear to you all, cause I done confused my damn self.)

Or, when possible, I’ll simply send you somewhere you can purchase a print of the item…

Back to those recurring themes, with named (in most cases) examples:

The concept of Father just being there when you need him – In Daddy’s Care; first steps, paintings, 9th in series; Daddy’s Love (negroartist.com is a prime source for…ummm…negro artists).
Paternal physical contact – sold artwork, 4th; sold artwork, 10th; safety net, paintings, 7th (As you can see, this piece contains elements in the Daddy’s Care piece)
Papa uplifting his kids (literally as well as figuratively) – available paintings, 4th; Daddy’s Shoulder.

I suspect that a lot of these Afro-American visual treats not classified as “sold” can be had for a price by visiting Bayoc and wife’s brick-and-mortar store on S. 39th Street. But if you can’t pay them a visit, and you got it like that financially-speaking, there’s no need to fret. Drop him a line at his artistic website (cbabibayoc.com) – by hitting the “CONTACT” link – and he can come out to your neck of the woods and whip you up a print. Something really personal and really good. Maybe something for your dad.

Even better…

Tags: African American art, African American artist, African American exhibit, African American father, African American painter, black exhibit, Black Art, black artist, black father, black painter, Cbabi Bayoc, Cbabi Bayoc art, Cbabi Bayoc artist, dad, daddy, ethnic exhibit, ethnic art, ethnic artist, ethnic painter, father, father art, fatherhood, fatherliness, negro art, negro artist, negro exhibit, negro painter, pop art, poppa, St. Louis art
Posted in African American Art | 1 Comment »

John F. Kennedy’s Golden Presidential Campaign

May 21st, 2010

John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, in the eyes of many people, was America’s golden boy president. He was certainly the youngest ever elected (but you already knew that). And since:

his birthday is on May 29th;
’tis the season for primary elections across the country; and last but not least
this year marks the 50th anniversary of his 1960 fight for the US presidency (which, of course, he would eventually win) against Richard M. Nixon;

I thought it’d be nice to shine the spotlight on several of the many JFK campaign collectibles and memorabilia pieces that abound today.

John F. Kennedy Campaign

Before I delve into that, I’d like to point out that the organisation behind the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has been doing a very interesting thing. They have been posting the ins and outs of his day-to-day campaign moments of 1960 via tweets. Relive this history at http://twitter.com/Kennedy1960.

John F. Kennedy Button

So, to get back on point, I linked to that particular URL – and not to the index page – on the library website for two reasons. First and foremost, the page is directly related to the topic of this post. As far as the campaign of 1960 is concerned, that page is a paragon for media and narrative resources.

I linked to the page for another reason. You see the picture of the button pin waaaay at the bottom of the page? An authentic pinback from the campaign, very similar to this one and using the same Kennedy profile mind you, recently went for about $100 on ebay. (And before you even ask, I’m not linking to presidential collectibles on ebay for a reason I previously stated.) You’ll have to trust me on this.

John F. Kennedy Art

There were several Time magazine covers that featured Kennedy’s likeness while he was still alive (I counted about nine), and most of them have been reproduced for public consumption. Thus, anyone can acquire the art print version of the cover of the Kennedy family issue…Or a poster for the issue that was released on the eve of Election Day (which was on Tuesday, November the 8th in 1960).

(Just a fun fact: Someone used to the “British Standard” might get the release dates of the two aforementioned Time publications mixed up. That is, if said dates were written using the notation form: 07/11/60 vs 11/07/60.)

John F. Kennedy Photos

But, just in case cover art is not nostalgic enough for you, the New York Times store has arguably done something even better. Just to make you feel as if you were there – or, depending on how old you are, to remind you what it felt like – it has taken historical news photos from the campaign trail and slapped them on archival paper. Witness (then) Senator John F. Kennedy stumping at a rally , JFK preparing for a speech, and Kennedy in New York…

If you go to the Search page at shopgoodwill.com and type in “Kennedy,” you should get a fair number of results for auctioned items. For the purpose of this blog entry, I’d like to point out the photo print of 1959 taken by Fabian Bachrach (a renowned celebrity photographer who’d also taken photos of a Haitian leader and Martin Luther King’s widow, to name two personalities). This rendering was JFK’s official campaign portrait for his presidential bid.

(Even if you do not grab a Kennedy memorabilia piece, I highly encourage you to buy something at the Goodwill Industries website. The proceeds from whatever you decide to pick up, as you can imagine, will go to a good cause.)

John F. Kennedy Gold

I’ve brought up the subject of ingots before. In my opinion, these casts are some of the most awe-inspiring collectibles you’re ever going to see. And that’s why we had to stock one in our store. The ingot half of this Kennedy ingot-medal duo, as you can read from the product description, is based on the 13-cent stamp issued in Jack’s golden anniversary year (1967). And the picture on that stamp, in turn, was derived from a photo taken by one Jacques Lowes, Kennedy’s Official Presidential Campaign Photographer.

Now before you go singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” in your sultriest Marilyn Monroe voice, I would like to reinforce the point that these joint items are only overlayered in 24-karat gold. However, there is a JFK pure gold ingot sold at nytstore.com…

In conclusion, this is by no means an exhaustive list of John F. Kennedy products commemorating his historical 1960 campaign run. I could have listed a great number of relevant items. But were I to do that, you, my fellow fan of political Americana, would be robbed of the satisfaction of the hunt.

So as a great man might have said, “Ask not what collectibles and memorabilia I can find for you. Ask what collectibles and memorabilia you can find for yourself.”

13-cent John F. Kennedy stamp

JFK at the Democratic National Convention, 1960

Tags: JFK, JFK anniversary, JFK art, JFK birthday, JFK button, JFK campaign, JFK collectibles, JFK gold, JFK library, JFK magazine cover, JFK memorabilia, JFK photos, JFK poster, JFK print, John F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy anniversary, John F. Kennedy art, John F. Kennedy birthday, John F. Kennedy button, John F. Kennedy campaign, John F. Kennedy collectibles, John F. Kennedy cover, John F. Kennedy gold, John F. Kennedy library, John F. Kennedy memorabilia, John F. Kennedy photos, John F. Kennedy poster, John F. Kennedy print, President JFK, President John F. Kennedy, presidential campaign 1960, presidential collectibles, presidential memorabilia, presidential portraits, Senator JFK, Senator John F. Kennedy
Posted in Political Collectibles & Memorabilia | 1 Comment »

The Mother of All Black Art Holiday Gifts

May 3rd, 2010

I’d like to point out several works by a couple of African-American artists who really value Mom – works any ethnic art connoisseur in your life (including yourself) would appreciate as presents.

The first three pieces are the creations of Sylvia Walker. They are all a part of her Mother Love series of lithographs (midway down on the destination page). In each of these works, a black mother and a child share an unconditional love that could only exist between the two. Comparatively-speaking, each print is a veritable bargain at $35. (All of the prices stated in this blog entry are effective as of this post date.)

Check out the rest of her site. There you will see that themes of family, and not just motherhood, run rampant throughout her gallery.

“But,” you say to yourself, “I have over several hundred dollars just burning a hole in my pocket. What am I supposed to do with all of it?”

I’m glad you asked…

Charles Bibbs is another black artist who seems to resonate with the concept of motherliness. On his website, he offers many upscale giclee edition art prints related to the topic. Among these prints are:

1. dual versions of his ethnic tribute to Gaea which will run you approximately $400 each (click “Next” to view the alternate White version);
2. the appropriately-titled Motherhood, a production featuring a black woman cradling a child, which retails for a little over $400; and last but certainly not the least (in cost, anyway)
3. a piece, also called Mother Love (ala the entries in Walker’s series), which depicts a negro maternal figure holding a bouquet of flowers, in the $1100 – $1200 range. Now this is what I call the ultimate in a non-jewelry gift. “Momma said knock you out” with this price tag…

Are the aforementioned items a little on the expensive side? Probably. But for the person you choose to purchase them for (again, one’s self included), they are keepsakes and valuable additions to any respectable Afro-art collection.

A collection any Mom would be proud of…

Tags: Charles Bibbs, Gaea, Gaia, giclee, gifts, holiday, lithographs, love, maternal, Mom, Momma, mother, Mother Earth, motherhood, motherliness, Sylvia Walker
Posted in African American Art | 3 Comments »

A Passion for the Christ Art

March 28th, 2010

To say that Jesus Christ has been the subject of several works of art in the almost two millennia since his death would be a huge understatement. The holidays and observances – Palm Sunday, holy week, Good Friday, Easter – of this post-Lenten time of year in the Christian calendar have especially been marked.

Many contemporary black artists (including one man in particular) and purveyors of black paintings have thrown their hat into the ring of art commemorating the events of the Passion: i.e. the sequence of events that led up to, those that occurred during, and those which immediately followed the death of Christ. Let’s look at those black art print versions, regarding these events, that are available for public consumption.

For each poster where the name of the artist of the original artwork is not available or not readily apparent (for example, his/her signature is illegible), I will try to declare such.

In the eyes of many biblical historians, the Last Supper was the symbolic beginning of the end of Christ’s sojourn on Earth. All of the gospel books of the New Testament allude to the event. Pictured above are two distinct versions of that event, as seen by two different black painters. The one on the left is by the prolific Haitian artist Alix Beaujour , while the one on the right is the work of Cornell Barnes. Notice how Barnes’ version includes famous historical African-American figures like Martin Luther King, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, etc. I suspect that Beaujour’s work might also include renowned black men, but I cannot confirm that suspicion. (If someone recognizes a familiar face in Beaujour’s work, I would appreciate it if you could point it out in the Comments section of this blog entry. Thank you.)

If you clicked on the “Last Supper” link above, you will see that we at the day after carry a rendition of that noteworthy feast. Our art print features a very skillful remake of the original piece by Leonardo Da Vinci, and is a superior work in its own right (which is why we stock it).

On the other hand, there are those theologians that believe that the Savior’s ultimate physical demise started in the Garden of Gethsemane (as a matter of fact, the controversial Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, begins at this point in the gospels), whose events transpired immediately after the Last Supper. In the piece to the left by Diane Viera, Jesus prays earnestly as his disciples slumber peacefully in the background.

The Giclee print to the far left represents the bound Jesus, a condition he endured from the time he was arrested all through his trial and sentencing. Meanwhile, the print on the right references the crown of thorns that was placed on the flogged Christ figure while he was on trial (as told in three of the four gospels).

Here we have an array of paintings depicting Christ’s crucifixion. The top left print is by Beaujour. As you can see, it recalls that verse in the book of Luke wherein Jesus asks God (to paraphrase) not to punish his persecutors because they were unaware of the extent of their actions. In True Passion (right, top), by Johnny Myers, we see the clouds of darkness that rolled in during the sixth hour of the day of Christ’s death.

Monsieur Beaujour is also responsible for the bottom left work in the quartet, wherein a soldier pierces the side of a now deceased Christ. And the last picture (bottom right) in the sequence is a final look at a crucified Christ on the cross after being pierced.

These next set of prints depict, in order, the sequence of events that took place in preparation for Jesus’ burial: from the removal of his body from the cross (top pics), to the lamenting over his lifeless body (bottom left print), to the conveyance of his mortal coil to its temporary resting place by Joseph of Arimathea (last poster). In this final picture, you can plainly see the spirit of Christ has left his body. Two of the four prints are by Beaujour…

The art montage here shows scenes from Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry. But as far as this blog entry is concerned, I’d like to point out the depiction of his resurrection to the right, as a consequence of his crucifixion (pictured center). Vincent Barzoni stays consistent with his illustration of both Christ’s slain body and his risen form from his Black Resurrection painting above.

To the left is a visual recounting of the tale of Doubting Thomas: that disciple of Christ that did not believe that the resurrected figure of his master was indeed standing before him. That is, until he himself had touched the holes in the Christ’s hands and placed his fingers in the Christ’s pierced side.

Actually, on the aforementioned Alix Beaujour page at negroartist.com (a site I can’t stop raving about ever since I first started discussing African-American art), you can view his graphic interpretation of the Doubting Thomas story.

As you can see and as you would expect, religion is a profound motivator when it comes to art. Great artists like Beaujour, inspired by Scripture, will always create great faith-based art (just as inspired composers will create great music) as long as humankind is alive.

For, as it has been said, Art without Passion is meaningless…

Tags: African American art, African American artist, African American painter, bible, Black Art, black artist, black painter, Christ, crucifixion, Easter, ethnic art, ethnic artist, ethnic painter, gospel, Haitian artist, holidays, Jesus, Last Supper, negro art, negro artist, negro painter, passion, resurrection
Posted in African American Art, Black Art | 4 Comments »

This President’s Day, Go for Gold…and Silver…and Bronze

February 15th, 2010

This blog is nothing if not timely. Let’s look at some of the best ways the President’s Day honorees, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, have been memorialized in minting. And since the Winter Games are officially underway in Vancouver, let’s do it Olympic-style.

There are two points I’d like to make before starting the item showcase. First of all, I will caution the reader that this is not necessarily a numismatic blog, and that I tend to shy away from talking about current United States legal tender. However, I will mention circulating coinage if it falls within the broader scope of collectibility. That being said, while some of the following coins discussed are definitely not for spending (you can check the item descriptions yourself), some can be used to purchase goods and services. But to reiterate my sentiments on the subject of presidential collectibles, why would you want to expend such valuable items on trivial commerce?

Also, I’d like to direct your attention to the end of this post. There you will find reference photos for many of the Washington and Lincoln designs that adorn their numerous respective collectible pieces. There is only one photograph for Washington, while there are several for Lincoln. As a matter of fact, most (if not all) of the George Washington engravings alluded to below – as well as that on the American Quarter, by the way – are derived from the bust pictured. So to reinforce another (obvious) point that I brought up in my previous article, executive depictions that predate the mid-19th century are hard to come by.

Now on to the treasures…

Gold

George Washington – In this blogger’s opinion, the George Washington Gold-Layered Stamp Ingot is very charming. Note from the product description that both the ingot and the accompanying medal for this product are only layered in gold. (But with the way the price of gold sky-rocketed late last year, the product might still be worth the value on its price-tag.)

Abraham Lincoln - The Abraham Lincoln Gold-Layered Stamp Ingot is also available at the New York Times store. You will be hard-pressed to legitimately find this ingot duo and its Washington counterpart anywhere else on the ‘net (Lord knows I’ve tried), and that includes the United States Post Office website.

Silver

Washington – The Lafayette Dollar is an item you will need to shell out some serious dough to get. And one from the original mint year of 1899 (for the year 1900) is really going to cost you.

Lincoln – We currently carry a pure silver coin – a fine product (pun intended), if we do say so ourselves. But for those of you with deeper pockets, consider an entire set of Presidential Silver Proof Commemoratives, with those of Washington and Lincoln included. Personally, this set is my favorite issue in this entire post, and I wanted to beat the drum about its release since it is so imminent.

Bronze

Washington – The concept for this 3″ Bronze Medal featuring the Father of Our Country probably dates back farther than any item I’ve mentioned so far. The token on which this medal is based was originally commissioned in the late 18th century.

Lincoln – As luck would have it, the US Mint now offers the Lincoln 3″ Bronze Medal and will begin shipping it at the beginning of March 2010. (FYI, since I first came across this medal, its initial day of dispatch has already been pushed back once. Be advised that the March day may change again.)

If you’re really up for it, and really rich, you can try getting your hands on a legendary 1943 Lincoln Penny at auction. Conversely, check the change container in your car and fish between the cushions of your sofa. In the rare event that you possess one of these cent-pieces (and CoinFacts.com tells you how to give your coin a preliminary authentication test), you could probably sell it for tens of thousands of dollars in today’s vintage/collectibles market.

Now if you don’t believe me, remember that this President’s Day post is dedicated to both “the man who could not tell a lie” and “Honest Abe.” Would I make this stuff up?

George Washington's bust in profile, a view replicated extensively

Abraham Lincoln portrait close-up, as seen on the old $5 bill and various other mints

Lincoln in profile, as seen on the penny and many collectibles

Daguerreotype photo of Lincoln, as seen in the new $5 bill

Daguerreotype photo of Lincoln, as seen on the new $5 bill

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln coins, Abraham Lincoln collectibles, George Washington, George Washington collectibles, George Washington medals, presidential collectibles, presidential currency, presidential memorabilia
Posted in Political Collectibles & Memorabilia | No Comments »

My Funny Valentine’s Day Perspective

February 14th, 2010

Roses are red, Valentine's Day is blue

Remember, today is just one day, and no single day defines the extent of any amorous relationship. Moreover, no single person outside of yourself should determine your short-term or long-term happiness.

(At least that’s what I’m telling my Valentine…)

Thanks to Xandory, Robin Wood, TrekkieGrrrl, Britt McCary, Seliah, Schonee, Ziggie, dorkati, Kerry and Regine for making this artwork possible.

Tags: African American art, Black Art, ethnic art, holidays, negro art, rose, Valentine
Posted in Symbolism | 1 Comment »

How to Arrange Your Black History Stamps

January 30th, 2010

After reviewing my last entry on the history of Haiti and Haitian stamps, I thought of ways you might, if you’re into stamp collecting, want to arrange your valuable stash. Since it’s Black History Month, I thought I’d use the artful Black Heritage Series of stamps to offer a few suggestions towards that end. (Besides, I was thinking of taking up the hobby myself, and I needed a starting point.) But , of course, you can always use my suggested methods for any collection that contain items with both a common theme and a human focus.

As you can see from the display at ESPER (the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections), one stamp of this series has been issued every year since 1978. Therefore, as of today, the set contains 32 postage pieces. (In June 2010, Oscar Micheaux the filmmaker will be the 33rd person to be honored in this array by the United States Post Office.)

The simplest way to obtain all of the current stamps of the series (since many of them are hard to come by), as well as stamps depicting other notable African Americans plus a collection binder for storage, is to shop at the Black Heritage Commemorative Society. (Caveat emptor – I personally have not purchased from this organization, so I make no claims as to the validity of their offers. If you do buy from them, you do so at your own risk.)

There are two things you should keep in mind before we look into arrangements (the purpose of this article). First of all, you can either treat the following sorting options like a restaurant menu wherein you select an item from a “Column A” and one from a “Column B”, or you can look at the suggested classifications as a buffet and take items liberally from both sections.

Secondly, several of these suggestions are made with tongue firmly planted in cheek. The point of this exercise is mostly to have fun and enjoy the action, which is what the act of collecting and displaying should be about. And wouldn’t it be nice to throw a viewer of your album collection for a loop as they try to decipher what organization system you employed? (Okay, maybe it’s just me…)

How to Group Your Black History Stamps (”Column A”)

You can broadly sort your Black Heritage stamps in one or several of the following ways:

Grouping I: by vocation. They who are depicted in this series come from all walks of negro life. I thought I’d take a stab at this grouping (and this one only), just to get my feet wet as a stockpiler. The particulars of the rest of the groupings I will leave to your own ingenuity.

LEADERS & ACTIVISTS	Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney Moore Young, Sojourner Truth, A. Philip Randolph, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, Malcom X, Roy Wilkins
SCIENTISTS & INVENTORS	Benjamin Banneker, Jan E. Matzeliger, Percy Lavon Julian, Ernest E. Just
ATHLETES	Jackie Robinson
ENTERTAINERS (Actors, Singers, Musicians)	Scott Joplin, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Hattie McDaniel, Ella Fitzgerald
TEACHERS & EDUCATORS	Mary McLeod Bethune, Anna Julia Cooper
ENTREPRENEURS & PIONEERS	Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, Bessie Coleman, Madam C.J. Walker
PROFESSIONALS	Dr. Allison Davis
SCHOLARS & AUTHORS	Carter G. Woodson, James Weldon Johnson, Charles W. Chesnutt
PUBLIC SERVANTS	Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., Patricia Roberts Harris, Thurgood Marshall
LITERARY & VISUAL ARTISTS	Langston Hughes

Grouping II: geographically. You can file these historical figures, according to their birthplace, into North, South, Midwest, and West categories or some variation thereof. If you adopt this grouping, you can arrange lineups even further by state and/or city. More on that later…

Grouping III: by artist. Jerry Pinkney, Thomas Blackshear, Higgins Bond, Chris Calle, Richard Sheaff, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Albert Slark, Tim O’Brien, Paul Davis, Kazuhiko Sano, and Kadir Nelson have all created graphics for the items in this philatelic project. (Pictured below are a few of the more prolific designers.) Each illustrator name can be a heading unto itself.

Grouping IV: by scholastic achievement. Here are some classes (pun intended) for the boojie-in-spirit: College Graduate, No Formal Schooling, and Academic Dropout. Something you might want to contemplate is how to categorize people who were “self-educated” or “self-taught.”

You’ll notice – it’s impossible to miss when reading the respective biographies of these notables – that there has been many an historical black person who can fall into more than one category, especially when you group figures by trade. For example, G. W. Carver was both a renowned botanist (and thus a member of the scientist category) and he taught others (as an educator). Also, J. W. Johnson started out as a principal (an educator), but went on to become an author as well as a musician.

But these slight incongruities are all part of the organization process. To reiterate, trying to pigeonhole the names on a list to fit into specific categories, and coming up with more inclusive or (alternatively) more exclusive categories are both just plain fun.

How to Order Your Black History Stamps (”Column B”)

Here are several ways to arrange the Black Heritage postage in a given assembly, or in your entire set as a whole. You can arrange the pieces by:

Date of Issue, chronologically by year of stamp release. This is probably the default manner to arrange your collection. (But for more unconventional methods, read on…) The stamps are displayed in this way at ESPER.
Name, alphabetically by subject (African-American figure) surname. This method, of course, may also be one of the more natural ways to do things. Or if you feel that comfortable with these prominent black personages, place their seals by forename.
Year of Birth, chronologically by subject date of nascence. Alternatively, you can begin with the man or woman born most recently and end with he/she that was born earliest in time.
Longevity, numerically by subject lifespan. This list can be in either ascending or descending order.
Height, numerically by subject vertical stature. Only try this if you’re especially enterprising, and believe you are the greatest researcher who ever lived. Again, archive in order of either increasing value or decreasing value.
Year of Death, chronologically by subject date of demise. Feeling particularly morbid? This one’s for you – store from the earliest moment one of these Afro American stalwarts passed away to the latest moment, or vice versa.
Place of Birth, alphabetically by subject hometown. You can tackle this one of two ways (at least) – the first method is to group by state, then alphabetize by city name within each state grouping. On the other hand, you can just order all 32 stamps by subject city, regardless of state considerations.

These are just a few grouping and listing ideas to get you started. If you play around with concepts and themes and also look closely at the lives of these Black Heritage honorees, you might be able to come up with other conforming standards. (As a matter of fact, when I thought long and hard enough, I came up with a system that might be a little too grim for this relatively lighthearted topic. If anyone asks me for the details of this system under the Comments section, I’ll be more than happy to share it with you…)

If you do read extensively about all of these great men and women, yet no organization ideas come to mind, at least you would’ve learned a history lesson or two. And I ask you, “What’s wrong with that?”

For more stamp collecting tips and resources, visit Learn About Stamps.

Jerry Pinkney

Thomas Blackshear

Higgins Bond

Richard Sheaff

Tags: African American art, African American artist, African American heritage, African American history, African American stamps, Black Art, black artist, black heritage, black history, black history month, black history stamps, ethnic art, ethnic artist, ethnic history, ethnic stamps, negro art, negro artist, negro history, negro stamps
Posted in African American Art, Black Art, Political Collectibles & Memorabilia | 1 Comment »