The Fluttering Flag
An insight to the work of stamp designer Igal Gabay
By Evyatar (Tari) Chelouche, Israel
Preface
I've been researching the domain of the Israeli Klussendorf stamps for the past six years, accumulating items for my collection and philatelic information for my web-site and occasional reporting in the Israeli Philatelist. It is in that context that I either met or spoke to four of the designers of these stamps: David Ben-Hador, Yitzhak Granot, Marion Codner and Ruthy (Beckman) Malka. I found that studying the designers' creative process, the trials and the intermediate stages, was not less interesting than observing the end result. My objective was to search for some answers to questions such as: what were the origins of the symbols included in the stamp designs, and what were the artist's considerations when evaluating the different combinations of layout, content and color schemes. The fact that the Philatelic Service never published an informative brochure together with the stamps, only made the research even more interesting.
Igal Gabay was the fifth (and last) designer that created Israeli Klussendorf stamp designs. As a matter of coincidence, it turned out that he was also the last on my interview list. On a sunny April Friday, a few months ago, I decided it was high time to give him a call, and get to meet him in person. I left a message on his answering machine, and just as I was about to exit Tel-Aviv on my way home, he returned my call, and invited me to his studio, located a short walk from the Azrieli Towers.
From the moment I stepped into the small basement studio, it was clear to me that something new and exciting was going to emerge from this new acquaintance. I was dazzled by an overwhelming sensation. It was as if I was stepping into a Sesame Cave, full of treasures of philatelic importance. Looking around the walls of his studio one could see medium-sized black frames containing stamp, sheet and FDC of each of the stamp issues standing to his credit. Perhaps the most prominent was the Hanukkah Stamp Series, but there were others as well. The 15th Maccabiah Games stamp (1997) and the 1995 Philately Day (Model Planes) stamp are but two of dozens of stamps that were designed by Igal Gabay. There was no need to start digging to unearth something related to stamps - they were all over the place! I soon found out that the person behind the graphic design studio was friendly, cooperative and more than willing to help out. Our first conversation lasted for over three hours, without either of us feeling the time go by. It was an amazing discussion, with a new friend.
It was clear to me that I was going to put in writing his accounts as to the graphic work behind the two Klussendorf stamps he designed: the Israel98 Exhibition issue and the 1998 Season's Greetings issue. As we were going through some scrap books and folders containing artifacts of the design process, I noticed an A4 computer printout containing two large images of Klussendorf designs. The lower one was the familiar Israel98 Exhibition issue. Yet the upper one was of a stamp that was not formally issued, and contained an image of an Israeli flag fluttering in the wind. It looked familiar to me, but from another Israel stamp issue. I have seen it before in the different format of the self-adhesive stand-by stamps issued in late 1998. What was the cause that prevented the issue of this design as a Klussendorf stamp? How was it created, with such a realistic capture of the Magen-David fluttering in the wind? These questions and other stamp design issues are the basis for the following report.
A Flag in the Background
Back in 1998, as part of the celebration of the State of Israel Jubilee, the Philatelic Service planned to issue, as in every year, a stamp commemorating the Annual Memorial Day. In recent years, the regular design topic for such a stamp was one of the monuments erected in remembrance of the fallen soldiers. However, since 1998 was the Jubilee year, a more generic topic was sought after. Igal's design of a slightly arched olive tree branch on a blurred multicolored background was the winning selection. It was an impressive design drawing from the emblem of the IDF Officer, which is a branch wrapped around a sword, signifying the combination of the fighting force with the will for peace (the emblem can also be found on the 1971 Memorial Day stamp). Yet in Igal's design - the sword was missing, perhaps an indication of those of the fighting forces that were not with us any more. The yearning for peace was still there, slightly bent, but vivid and green.
As customary by most of the Israeli stamp designers, Igal decided to design a special presentation folder for this stamp. Thinking of a symbol that could be sufficiently patriotic and have good general public appeal, his reached a decision to choose the Israeli flag as the background of the presentation folder. One night, he stayed up till the end of the midnight news on TV Channel 1, and waited for the broadcast of the national anthem, which ends the day's transmission. Using a regular 35mm camera with a low shutter speed setting, he turned off the lights in the room and captured several frames of the flag displayed on the TV screen (Figure 1). Due to the slow shutter speed, the image that resulted was an excellent portrayal of a flag fluttering in the wind - a very realistic capture of movement. After scanning the photo into the computer, and executing some graphic adjustments, he reached the result he was seeking. The background of the Memorial Day Stamp Presentation Folder was ready! (Figure 2).
Figure 1: The fluttering flag as captured on the original negative
Figure 2: The Flag as background of the Memorial Day Presentation Folder
The Israeli Flag on Israel Stamps
Flipping through the pages of an Israeli Stamp catalogue, one will notice that the blue and white flag has only a few appearances in the history of Israeli stamp issues. The outstanding one is no doubt the 1949 Flag issue, a remarkable item issued in the infancy period of the state. Setting aside miniature appearances on tail-rudders of El-Al aircraft, the only other significant appearances are two symbolic designs (18th Independence Day 1966, Memorial Day 1969), one fluttering flag on the bow of a ship crossing the Straits of Tiran (on the 0.40IL stamp of the set issued to commemorate the 1967 Six-Day War victory) and on the mask of the "First Israeli Astronaut" (Philately Day 2001) - By far less appearances than topics of national stature such as Jerusalem or Herzel! The Jubilee year was apparently an appropriate opportiunity to re-focus on this important national symbol.
The Flag Klussendorf Stamp
Artists are in a way restless soles, constantly thinking of new ideas for new creations. Such is Igal Gabay as well. Pleased with the end result of the Presentation Folder, yet displeased with the fact there would be a very low exposure to his design, he decided to elevate it to the form of a regular circulation stamp. Following a request from the Philatelic Service for a Klussendorf design with a "national motif" he decided to reuse the fluttering flag. As he was working at the time on the design of a Klussendorf stamp for the Israel98 Exhibition, it was only natural to experiment with a Klussendorf instantiation of the flag design (Figure 3). Following that, limited trial printing of the production stamp took place (Figure 4).
Figure 3: Original artist computer essay for an Israel Flag Klussendorf Stamp
Figure 4: Trial printing of the Israel Flag Klussendorf Stamp
The Flag Stand-By Stamp
In late 1998 the Philatelic Service was in an unexpected situation requiring the supply an emergency issue of stamps. The stocks of stamps in the warehouse were constantly decreasing, and due to a prolonged strike in Governmental Printers, there was no fresh supply. Due to the hasty nature of the of the short-notice production process, there was no time to embark on a regular design tender procedure. Yitzhak Granot, Director of Stamp Production in the Philatelic Service, decided to use one of the pending designs, he had in stock. He approached Igal and asked him to reformat the flag design for the upcoming emergency printing. The flag was re-cropped, overlaying inscriptions characteristic to the Klussendorf design were removed, and a series of differently colored stamp values were added (Figure 5). The stamps were printed on self-adhesive stickers at Glilon Printers on sheets of 4 by 10, lacking characteristics of regular Israeli stamps (Plate Block cyclometer numbering, tabs). The first issue was of the 1.15NIS stamp (11/1998) followed by three additional values of 2.15, 3.25, and 5.35NIS (12/1998). During the printing process of the latter values, they received an additional phosphor coating, but in a new approach. Not the regular phosphor stripe alongside the stamp, as we can find in other stamp issues, but a hand-written inscription on the bottom part containing three Magen-David interspersed with the title "Israel Flag" (in Hebrew). This is the significant first-time-ever characteristic of this unusual stamp.
Figure 5: The Stand-By Issue Flag Stamps
Summary
Analyzing the Israel Philatelic History aspects of the events that led to the issue of the Flag Stand-by stamp, it is obvious that the strike of the Governmental Printers brought about an innovation in the domain of phosphor markings on Israel stamps. Yet to the collectors and enthusiasts of Klussendorf stamps it is probably a low point, as it probably deprived them from what could have been an impressive design, standing out in the gallery of Tourist Site images and Christmas related issues.
Additional information about the graphic design works of Igal Gabay can be found in the artist's web-site http://www.graphicidesign.com