paint by number A Cultural Phenomenon

A Cultural Phenomenon
paint-by-number , or PBN, was the brainchild of artist/designer Dan Robbins with the support of Max S. Klein, owner of the Palmer Paint Co., in 1951. Although earlier examples of PBN existed during the 1920s, these were marketed to children. Inspired by a story about Leonardo da Vinci assigning numbered portions of paintings to his assistants to complete, Robbins believed such a paint system could appeal to adults. The timing was certainly perfect: Following World War II, Americans experienced an age of prosperity and an abundance of leisure time. Millions moved to the suburbs, and signs of conformity were everywhere--from the mass-produced homes in housing developments to the shiny red Fords parked on the curbs. Why not standardize art as well? The numbered canvases, colour-coded to tiny pots of paint, guaranteed satisfaction.
Sure enough, paint-by-number kit s caught on. With an average price of $2.50 a kit, popularity was so high that by 1954, 12 million kits by Craft Master, Masterpiece and other labels had been sold. Critics complained that more paint-by-number kit paintings hung in Americans' homes than original works of art. Even Pop Artist Andy Warhol got in on the fun. During the early '60s, he created a series called "Do It Yourself" which were recreations of a paint by number style.
The craze peaked from 1953 to '55, but like all fads it began to fade by 1957 due to overexposure, according to Robbins, who is the author of Whatever Happened to Paint-by-Numbers?. Finished paintings soon ended up in basements, attics, trash cans and thrift stores, where they sold for as little as a nickel.