1998 32c Four Centuries of American Art: Franz Kline

US #3236s
1998 Franz Kline

• Shows detail from Mahoning
• From a pane featuring 20 art pieces produced by American artists
• Part of Classic Collection series

Stamp Category: Commemorative,
Set:  Four Centuries of American Art
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: August 27, 1998
First Day City: Santa Clara, California
Quantity Issued: 4,000,000
Printed by: Sennett Security Products
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Pane of 20
Perforations: 10.2

Why the stamp was issued: This stamp is part of a pane highlighting 20 of the most important American works of art produced in the last 400 years.

About the stamp design: The stamps show details from 20 works. Howard Paine, a USPS art director, designed the layout for the pane.  He consulted with an expert on American art in choosing which paintings to include. Paine arranged the art in chronological order.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the opening event of Stampshow 98, which took place in Santa Clara, California.

About the Classic Collection series: The Classic Collections series began in 1994 with the Legends of the West issue.  The idea originated from Carl Burcham, manager of stamp and product marketing for USPS at the time.  Each Classic Collections set consists of a pane of 20 different semi-jumbo stamps with descriptive selvage at the top (header) and informational text on the back of each stamp beneath the gum.  The stamps are “broadly defined, Americana-themed subjects.”
The series began six years earlier with the infamous Legends of the West sheet in 1994. Each sheet in the series would have the same unique 20-stamp format.  Each would have broadly defined Americana themes, exceptional artwork, a banner printed on the selvage of the sheet, and descriptive text on the back of each stamp. Additionally, postal cards with matching artwork would be issued to coordinate with a few of the sheets.
In 1998, the sixth addition to the series honored four centuries of American Art.  The text on the back of the pane reads, “The American artists represented here were born in diverse places around this country, as well as elsewhere. Some were self-taught, others were academically trained…  These images … reflect some of the enduring themes in American visual arts: a concern with individuality in a democratic society, reverence for the variety of landscape across the continent, down-to-earth realism, and a recurring sense of optimism and energy.”

History the stamp represents:  Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Franz Kline (1910-1962) became a leader in the abstract expressionist movement. His memories of the industrial sights of his hometown would later enter his work.
Kline’s first work was as an illustrator, but he became an abstract expressionist after viewing some of his sketches enlarged by a projector. He felt that his art would be more effective in a larger, more abstract medium. Soon Kline developed a style that was highly spontaneous and based solely on the artist’s “psychic states.” Characterized by the use of commercial paint and thick paintbrushes, Kline’s style quickly evolved into something very different than the style of his past.
At first glance, Kline’s artwork seems quite simple; a group of intersecting thick black lines on a white canvas. A very deliberate artist, he seems to give the spaces between the black lines a certain depth and character. In his paintings, the white is not blank space, but a color. Kline once said, “I paint the white as well as the black and the white is just as important.” In fact, Kline put great thought into his art. He would often sketch his paintings on a small notepad beforehand, so he could be sure they were precise, direct representations of his ideas.