ARTIST: Shannon Stirnweis (Arizona, New York, New Hampshire, Oregon, 1931 - 2019)
NAME: Liberation of Smolensk
YEAR: 1993
MEDIUM: oil on canvas
CONDITION: Excellent. No visible inpaint under UV light.
SIGHT SIZE: 22 x 17 inches / 55 x 43 cm
BOARD SIZE: 25 x 21 inches / 63 x 53 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
NOTE: This painting originally appeared on the Republic of the Marshall Islands 29c Liberation of Smolensk 1943 stamp issued September 25, 1993. Germany's defeat at Kursk in July 1943 marked its last mass effort along the Eastern Front. Hitler, concerned about the Allied landings at Sicily, transferred several of his best divisions to the West. German forces in the East, now hopelessly outnumbered in both men and materiel, had little choice but to fall back. The next two months would see the Germans retreat some 150 miles along a more than 600-mile front, extending from the Donets River in the south, through Kharkov, to the Divina River north of Smolensk. On September 25, facing a rapidly-approaching Red Army, the Germans abandoned Smolensk.
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
CATEGORY: antique vintage painting
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BIOGRAPHY:
Born in Portland, Oregon, Shannon Stirnweis settled in New York City, where he earned a reputation for his illustration work and fine art painting. He studied at the University of Oregon, the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, and with Pruett Carter.He served in the U.S. Army as an illustrator and had special assignments in a variety of places that included the Berlin Wall, the Everglades, Arizona, and Alaska. He was also an illustrator for Sportsman Magazine, and Field and Stream as well as for books, posters, and ads. After serving two years as President of the Society of Illustrators in New York he entered the field of gallery painting. His skills as an illustrator served him well when he focused later on the history of the Old West.He is represented in the permanent collections of the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Historical Museum, U.S. Coast Guard, Leaning Tree, Marriott, Grumbacher, Rumley, C.B.S., Burt Reynolds, California Federal Savings, University of Texas (El Paso), University of Wyoming and the Pippin Museum. He has participated in shows at the Hunterton Art Center, New York Historical Society and the Smithsonian.