The (Fine) Art History of Paint by Numbers

Who knew that your favorite elementary school pastime had such noble origins? In the 16th century, the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo was so busy that he began assigning sections of his famous ceilings to his students to paint. He used a numbering system to help them avoid mistakes. Fast-forward to 1949: Dan Robbins, an artist at the Palmer Painting Company in Michigan, has the ingenious idea to apply Michelangelo’s orderly process on a much smaller scale. Thus, paint by number kits were born.

SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/vR6Acb

This story is a part of our Frontiers series, where we bring you front and center to the dreamers, pioneers, and innovators leading society at the cutting edge. Let us take you along for a trip to the oft-imagined but rarely accomplished.

Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: http://goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
Give us a shout on Twitter: http://goo.gl/sY1GLY
Come hang with us on Vimeo: http://goo.gl/T0OzjV
Visit our world directly: https://greatbigstory.com