Remembering The Pigment Yesteryear Numbers Creative Mortal / Inventor Who Has Died Historic Menses 93

There's non many artists who acquire an obituary inwards newspapers around the world. However that's what happened this calendar week to Dan Robbins, the commercial creative somebody who had the sentiment for pigment past times numbers - a kit which could locomote sold, combining an outlined as well as numbered moving icon amongst paints which matched the numbers.

He died final calendar week historic menstruation 93, having helped really many children - as well as adults - acquire how to wield a pigment brush as well as pigment to hit a proficient looking picture.

a pigment past times numbers kit

I don't know how many of you lot had a pigment past times numbers kit when you lot were young. I know I had several. There again, I was born inwards the 1950s as well as the 50s as well as 60s were the decades when the massive craze for "paint past times numbers" swept the USA earlier venturing farther afield.

He claimed that the sentiment was inspired past times Leonardo da Vinci - although fine art historians accept disputed this.

“I remembered hearing that Leonardo used numbered background patterns for his students as well as apprentices, as well as I decided to test something similar that,” Robbins (2004) 

His boss Max Klein saw potential inwards the sentiment - exactly hated his outset essay - as well as got him to hit to a greater extent than examples. Dab Robbins produced the outset 35. Initially he focused on landscapes, as well as thence he branched out to horses, puppies as well as kittens earlier returning to landscapes every bit to a greater extent than artists for involved. However Leonardo's involvement meant they were unable to pigment the sentiment as well as at that topographic point were lots of other people who got involved manufacturing pigment past times numbers kits. (I KNEW at that topographic point was to a greater extent than than 1 creative somebody involved. There were some I actually liked as well as others which were naff!). 

The pigment past times publish phenomenon was celebrated by:

• an exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History - which received the archive of materials when Max Klein died.

Some inside the museum questioned the sentiment of celebrating the paint-by-numbers craze as well as its touching on on art, at to the lowest degree until the crowds showed up

• Paint past times Number: The How-to Craze that Swept the Nation. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2001 (exhibition catalog).
• the online Paint past times Numbers Museum created past times the Smithsonian - where you lot tin dismiss retrieve your past times artistic achievements

• Introduction
• Every Man a Rembrandt
• The New Leisure
• The Picture's Place
• The Unfinished Work
• Post a Reminiscence - which includes some really touching stories
• Select Bibliography
• His ain trouble organisation human relationship Whatever Happened to Paint-By-Numbers? : Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Humorous Personal Account of What It Took to Make Anyone an 'Artist' Delavan, Wisc.: Possum Hill Press, 1998.

This is what Dan Robbins had to tell at the opening of the exhibition well-nigh Paint By Numbers

He was not

“I never claim that icon past times publish is art. But it is the sense of art, as well as it brings that sense to the private who would unremarkably non alternative upwards a brush, non dip it inwards paint. That’s what it does.”

Your Paintings Are Numbered is an interesting 2017 article inwards Hyperallergic which is worth a read. It identifies the extent to which pigment past times numbers annoyed as well as undermined the fine art basis elite!

The midcentury paint-by-number craze revealed a belief that amongst plenty curiosity, as well as the mightiness to follow basic directions, anyone tin dismiss locomote an artist.

Obituaries

Like I said - there's non many artists who acquire comprehensive obituary coverage across the world. Here's a taster of some of them.

USA

• Dan Robbins, Who Made Painting every bit Easy every bit 1-2-3 (and 4-5-6), Dies at 93 | The New York Times
• Dan Robbins Paint By Number Inventor who made every homo a rembrandt dies at 93 | Washington Post
• The homo who invented paint-by-numbers has died at the historic menstruation of 93 | CNN
• Dan Robbins, creative somebody behind paint-by-numbers pictures, dead at 93 | NBC News
• Paint past times Numbers Hobby kit Originator Dan Robbins Dies Age 93 | ArtLyst
• Dan Robbins, creative somebody who invented paint-by-numbers pictures, dead at 93 | New York Post

UK

• Dan Robbins, creative somebody behind paint-by-numbers phenomenon dies at 93 | The Guardian
• From Warhol to minimalism: how icon past times numbers revolutionised art | The Guardian - Jonathan Jones
• Obituary: Dan Robbins, the homo who invented painting-by-numbers | The Scotsman
• 'Painting-by-numbers literally saved my life' | BBC

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: