What is the meaning of North Korea postal stamp issues for the 450th anniversary of the death of Antonio Correggio 1489-1534 (SG N2370)
North Korea issued stamps for the 450th anniversary of Correggio's death (around 1983) primarily for philatelic (stamp collecting) revenue and to showcase high-quality art, fitting its pattern of releasing attractive souvenir sheets featuring international historical figures and masterpieces, projecting cultural sophistication despite political isolation, and appealing to global collectors.
Why Does North Korea Issues Themed Stamps:
Economic Incentive: Stamps, especially intricate souvenir sheets, are a significant export, generating hard currency from international collectors.
Cultural Projection: Featuring renowned figures like Correggio, a High Renaissance Italian painter, allows the DPRK to align itself with global art history and culture.
High Quality: North Korean postal authorities are known for producing detailed, vibrant, and high-quality stamps, making them desirable for thematic collections (like art or famous anniversaries).
Anniversary Commemoration: They often commemorate significant historical or artistic milestones, even from foreign cultures, to provide diverse themes for their stamp program.
The DPRK Fine Artwork Project ‘A’
The 1983 DPRK 450th Anniversary of Antonio Correggio Stamp Artworks by Tino, are created using original 1983 DPRK Thematic Postage Stamps taken from the anniversary sheet depicting the paintings of the Madonna with Child by Antonio Correggio (circa 1516).
Tino presents the DPRK Artwork Project ‘A’ with a focus of the use of Light & Emotion inspired by the way Antonio Correggio painted his original works. The artworks are presented in a composition of four different artwork styles from the same theme to give a different Light & Emotion choice for the collector.
The combination of DPRK, printing thematic postage stamps of significance for stamp collecting, and the use of ‘soft power’ to sell a product internationally, at a time when many other exports were restricted by sanctions to generate foreign currency, provides the collector with a unique composition for critique, education and understanding in this very special presentation of artworks, by Tino.
Note by the artist Tino:
“It is also interesting to understand that the invention of the Printing Press was a Korean invention to use small metal pieces with metal type to produce the world’s oldest existing book Jikji, circa 1377, printed nearly 100 years before Johannes Gutenberg’s acclaimed “42-Line Bible”, which is incorrectly believed to be the first printed book using metal pieces with raised backwards letters”. Tino
About the Correggio Issue:
Timing: Released around 1983, marking 450 years since his death (1489-1534).
Content: The souvenir sheets feature reproductions of his famous paintings, such as "Madonna with Child" and religious scenes, in beautiful detail. In essence, the Correggio stamp was a standard move in the DPRK's broader strategy of using philately for economic gain and international cultural soft power.
About Soft power:
International cultural soft power is a nation's ability to influence others by attraction, not coercion, using its appealing culture, political values, and foreign policies, with culture (arts, education, media) being a core tool for fostering understanding, building trust, and achieving foreign policy goals through persuasion and shared ideas rather than military or economic force.
International cultural soft power is a nation's ability to influence others by attraction, not coercion, using its appealing culture, political values, and foreign policies, with culture (arts, education, media) being a core tool for fostering understanding, building trust, and achieving foreign policy goals through persuasion and shared ideas rather than military or economic force. It's about making others want what you want by showcasing desirable aspects of your society, like innovation, creativity, and open values, creating long-term influence. In essence, cultural soft power is the strategic use of a country's cultural appeal and shared values to build bridges and shape global opinion in a positive way. Examples include: Culture & Arts: Promoting literature, music, film, and artistic exchange (e.g., UK's British Council, China's Confucius Institutes).
Antonio Correggio 1489-1534
Antonio Allegri da Correggio (1489-1534) was a master Italian Renaissance painter from the Parma school, renowned for his dynamic compositions, masterful use of light and shadow (chiaroscuro), and innovative illusionistic perspective that prefigured Baroque art, particularly in his emotive religious works and sensual mythological scenes, like Jupiter and Io and Danaë.
Key Aspects of His Work & Style:
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Light & Emotion: He used light and shadow to create luminous, atmospheric effects and intense emotional impact, making figures seem to glow from within.
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Illusionistic Perspective: Correggio was a master of foreshortening (di sotto in sù) and perspective, creating breathtaking, immersive scenes, especially in dome frescoes like those in Parma Cathedral.
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Dynamic & Sensuous Figures: His figures often possess a lively, tangible quality, full of movement and sensuality, seen in both his religious paintings and his famous mythological series.
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Influence: He drew inspiration from Mantegna and Leonardo da Vinci, and later influenced generations of artists, including Rubens and Boucher.
Major Works:
Legacy:
Correggio's innovative techniques in manipulating space and light laid groundwork for the theatricality of the Baroque period, making him a pivotal figure bridging the High Renaissance and later art movements.
Other famous artists of the time of Antonio Correggio 1489-1534
During the time of Antonio Correggio (1489-1534), the Italian Renaissance was in its High Renaissance phase, dominated by giants like Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci, but also featured Venetian masters like Titian, while Northern Europe saw artists like Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein the Younger, with Correggio himself influencing the coming Mannerist and Baroque styles through artists such as Parmigianino and Pordenone.
Key Contemporaries & Influences:
- High Renaissance Masters (Earlier/Overlapping):
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Michelangelo (1475-1564): Sculptor, painter, architect; a titan of the era.
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Raphael (1483-1520): Master painter and architect, known for harmony and idealized beauty.
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Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): Polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist.
