Issue date: 08 Nov, 2018
Christmas. Popular Scenes. Dioramas by J. Bofill
One of the most popular and typical Christmas traditions is the creation of Nativity scenes representing the birth of Christ, with figures, carvings, or other artistic expressions, also known in Spain as a Pesebre (manger) or Belén (Bethlehem).
In Catalonia, Nativity scenes traditionally take the form of dioramas, scale models using perspective, light and composition to give a feeling of realism.
One of the great Catalan creators of crib scenes, who won international renown, was the Barcelona native Josep Bofill i Herrero (1911-1997). A member of the “Barcelona School”, also known internationally as the Catalan school of Nativity scenes founded by Antoni Moliné, Josep Bofill consolidated its features and techniques and exported the work of the school all over the world.
He was strongly influenced by his uncle, a Moderniste (Art Nouveau) designer, and the English painter William Hole – he had a collection of watercolours by Hole, which he won as a prize in one of the competitions of the Barcelona Nativity Scene Association, which he first competed in as a child.
One of his talents as a creator of Nativity scenes was his skill with composition, which he used as well as a painter or photographer to represent Palestine in the style of Hole’s watercolours, while adapting the landscape and buildings to the world he knew best: Catalonia and its surrounding regions.
Five of his dioramas can be seen in Andorra, in the Areny-Plandolit House Museum. They represent landscapes and monuments of Andorra in three dimensions, showing the most artistic side of the Nativity scene.
This stamp issue is presented in a special fold-out mini sheet format with perforations to suggest the realism and sensation of depth achieved in these dioramas.
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