Joint Issue: Nida Artists' Colony (Lithuania/Germany)

Here is another joint issue and this one is the first ever joint issue between Lithuania and Germany. As the stamps are identical apart from the text and the QR code on the German stamp, I will review them together. The stamp celebrates the Nida Artists' Colony. I had never heard of this before but fortunately the WOPA website has some useful information (it often does!) and the colony seems fascinating: "The Nida Artists' Colony is considered the oldest artists' colony on the Baltic coast. Its origins date back to the end of the 19th century, when professors and students of the Königsberg Academy of Arts began spending their summers in Nida. One of the most important creators of the colony is considered to be Ernst Bischof-Kulm, a graduate of the academy, and the hotel founded by Herman Blodė in 1885 eventually became a center for artists' meetings and creativity. "At the beginning of the 20th century, Nida had become a favorite place for German artists, intellectuals, and creators. Discussions about art took place here, music was played, and poetry was read. After 1923, when Klaipėda region became part of Lithuania, the landscape of the Curonian Spit also inspired Lithuanian artists, and the spirit of free creativity continued to thrive in Nida. "The painting on the new stamp, by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, was one of the most prominent German expressionists. The Nazi regime classified his work as so-called 'degenerate art', and in 1937 hundreds of the artist's works were confiscated or destroyed, and in 1941 he was banned from creating. "The beginning of World War II also brought the history of the Nida artists' colony to an end. In 1945, the impressive collection of paintings kept in the house of Herman Blodė was destroyed. Later, the former artists of the colony expressed their longing for the Curonian Spit and the nature of Nida, which had become inaccessible, by painting pictures of their favorite places from memory." Design Quality: I really like the design of this stamp because it looks completely different from most landscape stamps. It looks like it belongs to an artistic community! Instead of trying to make the scenery look realistic, the artist has used really strong colours and quite simple shapes, which makes it look like a painting you might see hanging in an art gallery, which I'm sure was the aim. The orange and yellow landscape really stands out against the purples, greens and dark trees, and I especially like the bare tree in the foreground because it gives the picture a slightly mysterious feeling. The design is actually based on the work of artist Carl Schmidt-Rottluff, which is a perfect choice for a stamp about an artists' colony. My only small complaint is that the large white section containing the country name and value interrupts the artwork and is a bit distracting (the QR code on the German stamp doesn't help either). The stamp design is quite simple but it works because the painting itself is so good. 7/10

Theme and Subject Choice: An artists' colony is a really interesting subject for a stamp, especially because the Nida Artists' Colony has connections with both Lithuania and Germany. I also think this is a particularly good subject for a joint issue between Lithuania and Germany because it represents something the two countries genuinely share. Sometimes joint issues can feel as though two countries have desperately searched for anything they have in common to celebrate an anniversary or something similar, but this one has a proper historical connection behind it. 9/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance: There is a lot of history packed into this stamp. Nida became a meeting place for artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and German artists were among those who travelled there to paint scenery. That gives Germany an important connection to a place that is now in Lithuania. I think the stamp also shows how art can connect countries even when their political histories and borders have changed. The landscape itself is culturally important too, because the Curonian Spit is such a distinctive part of this region. This isn't just a stamp with an attractive old painting stuck on it. The artwork, the location and the two countries involved all fit together. 9/10

Innovation and Creativity: Putting a famous artist's work on a stamp isn't exactly a new idea. However, I think it is much more creative than the usual type of art stamp where somebody simply finds a rectangular painting and puts a frame around it. While the stamp design isn't particularly exciting or innovative, the painting itself is also extremely bold. The colours don't necessarily look like the colours you would really see in the landscape, but that is what makes it interesting. It is showing us an artist's impression of Nida rather than just showing us what Nida looks like. 7/10

Collectability: I think this could be quite a collectable stamp. Art is already a popular theme and people interested in German or Lithuanian history could also find it interesting. Joint issues have another advantage because collectors can try to find both countries' versions and display them together. The really colourful design should help too, because it is the sort of stamp that stands out. The story of the Nida Artists' Colony makes it more interesting. 7/10

Personal Appeal: I like this stamp a lot, even though I didn't know anything about the Nida Artists' Colony before seeing it. In fact, that is one of the reasons I like it and I've done a bit of research over the last couple of days. A good stamp can make you curious about something you have never heard of, and this one made me want to find out why there was a German artists' colony in Lithuania in the first place. However, I did know about the Third Reich's attitude towards "degenerate art" as I have recently been to museums in Germany and Luxembourg and read about it. I also really like the painting. The colours make the landscape look exciting and almost a little strange. It doesn't just look like another pretty view of some countryside. It has a personality of its own. 8/10

Overall Score — 47/60