Adveniat - Catholic Relief Action for the Church in Latin America 1967 - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1967 - 30 Pfennig

With this stamp, the German Federal Post Office honors the Episcopal Action ADVENIAT, which has set itself the task of providing the Church in Latin America with the help of German Catholics. The graphic designers consulted for drafting were given a comprehensive insight into the achievements of this institution. It was by no means an easy task to work out an appropriate graphical interpretation from the knowledge gained from the contexts. The great action branches out into so many streams and, with its aids, considers completely different areas of life and circles of people, so that no solution was conceivable which could show all these directions vividly and exhaustively. We had to look for a valid sign which, summarily compressed, brings the essentials to an impressive and memorable formula. Hanswerner Klein, Hermann Rastorfer and Bert Jäger each sent a draft. Reinhart Heinsdorff received two proposals, Hans Fick three. The peculiarity of the task and the described variety inevitably led to a concentration of the thematic idea in such a way that the origin of the practiced charity through the cross and its goal were traced back to a symbolic symbolization by the typical outline of the South American continent. In selecting the most suitable proposal, sentimental ideas were not allowed to prevail; because it was necessary to create a sign for a quite contemporary realization of Christian service to humanity. Powerful and sober, as such a work is organized today with the gigantic means of technology and traffic, the brand should also give itself. From such a point of view, it took no lengthy and pondering considerations to realize that the proposal of Hanswerner Klein deserved the benefit over all others. Containing all the decorative ingredients that many other solutions have, it exerts a strong fascination with them, thanks to the unconventional color scheme based on the harmony of red, black, purple and a rich ocher tone. The stamp has been produced in four-color copper gravure printing at Bundesdruckerei Berlin.