100 Days of COVID-19, Day 55

My Art in the time of a Pandemic

Postcard no. 63, I am swell.  Wish you were here.  by Suzanne Coley

Today's postage stamp was issued in May 1974 by The Maldives to commemorate the life of Spanish painter Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881-1974).  Picasso spent his adult life in France and is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century.

Six different stamps of Picasso's paintings were issued with this series. Today's postage stamp is called Les Deux Saltimbanques or Harlequin and His Companion.  The original 73 x 60 cm, oil on canvas, is housed at the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.

According to Picasso's website, street entertainers, such as the figure of the harlequin or acrobat "represented for Picasso the dark side of the city" and they would feature prominently in his work over the next few years.  

Today in the news:

*Coronavirus Disease 2019:
Update in Maryland- 5/24/2020

46,313 confirmed cases 

2,277 deaths   3,319 recovered

Update in New York State - 5/24/2020

361,515 confirmed cases 

29,141 deaths    64,080 recovered

Total in United States: 1,642,021 confirmed cases, 97,698 deaths
Total Worldwide:       5,405,029 confirmed cases, 344,997 deaths

* All numbers are taken from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center