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| 1982: UN Space Conference in Vienna (Design - Otto Zeiller) |
Austria and outer space is something which does not immediately spring to my mind however I would be wrong as it turns out they have been involved in space research since the 1950s and are members of the European Space Agency.
Austria chaired the UN Committee of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) from 1957-1996 and in 1982 issued this stamp to commemorate UNISPACE II - the UN Conference on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space held in Vienna.
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| 1978: (Definitive Series 1973-83): Beautiful Austria (Design - Otto Zeiller; Engraver - W Pfeiler) |
Before setting off into outer space on top of highly inflammable fuel perhaps one might take time out to offer a prayer of safe return here in Oberwart which as that beautiful handwriting says is located in Burgenland (South East Austria). The stamp shows the old parish church rebuilt in 1463 and the new parish church built in the 1960s. I would take bets that the old church will outlast the modern. You might have noticed that Otto Zeiller (1913-1988) has designed both of these stamps and of course the rest of the 'Beautiful Austria' issue.
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| 1978: Modern Art in Austria (Design - Rudolf Hausner) |
Who might we encounter in outer space? This is Adam who
Rudolf Hausner (1914-1995) depicted repeatedly over the decades subtly changing and based on his own image. No wonder when they held a retrospective exhibition of his works it was called 'Ruldolf Hauser - it's me'. My thoughts on when seeing this stamp for the first time and observing the hat was linking it in my head with Guinan, the quirky and wise alien played by Whoopi Goldberg in Star Trek. Hausner has been called a "painter of the landscapes of the soul" and his style can't be classified although people try, calling it fantastic realism and him a psychic realist. The Nazi's had other views and designated him a degenerate artist during World War 2.
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| 1919: For Express (Design - Alfred Cossmann) |
Mercury doesn't need fuel or rockets to race around the world just wings on his hat and feet. This stamp is for express delivery use and is the second issue which was overprinted 'Deutschösterreich' - German-Austria; a political desire of unification by Austria at that time as it emerged battered and without an empire at the end of the first world war.
Sunday Stamps II prompt this week is the Letter O - here for Österreich, Outer Space, Oberwart and Otto -
See It On A Postcard
4 comments:
I've been ignorant about the fact that Austria has taken part into space research. And that's one lovely maxicard!
Hausner is an interesting artist (not particularly flattering to his own face!)
As a kid, I used to imagine what it'd be like to wear a winged helmet and fly (of course, I also had a cape, but I don't remember shoes being a part of my fantasy)
An overprinted stamp is always cool.
It was also an unknown fact to me. Well, I hadn't think a lot of that, I must say. I always love stamps about the outer space.
My Austrian stamps are very boring compared with these.
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