1st anniversary of the death of George C. Marshall - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1960 - 40

The American general and statesman George C. Marshall was Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War and then Special Envoy, Secretary of State and State Secretary for Defense. In 1953, he, with his outstanding statesmanship and high humanity, gained general respect for him. Albert Schweitzer awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As the creator of the Marshall Plan named after him, he freed Europe from its desperate economic situation and helped Germany to a new start. He died on October 16, 1959. The German Federal Post Office uses the first anniversary of his death as an opportunity to honor him and his work by issuing a commemorative stamp. The artists involved in the drafting of the project were asked to create a dignified portrait mark. From Hans Michel and Günther Kieser and Hermann Eidenbenz ever received a proposal. Herbert Kern delivered two, and Professor Hermann Schardt three designs. A look at the solutions rendered in black and white shows how different the individual artists are in the conception of the image itself and in the choice of graphical means, which they use to give shape to this human face. The decision of the Art Advisory Board was not dependent on long considerations, because the work of the graphic artists Michel and Kieser convinced in every respect. With the utmost conscientiousness, a portrait is created here that is similar to reality down to the finest traits, similar but not in the sense of a photographic fidelity to the work. Rather, there is a strong process of transposing into a play of surfaces, spots and lines, into a change of light and dark, which leads away from any tangible realism and is related to the transcendental process of transfiguration. Thus, in the interaction of the etheric-blue surface and the black drawing elements placed on it, a structure is created which is worthy of honoring a great person separated from this world. The Federal Minister of Posts and Telecommunications made the decision that the mark should be executed according to this draft. It has been produced in the large-scale graphic arts company A. Bagel in Düsseldorf in two-color offset printing blue and black with white relieved value.