美国国家公共电台 NPR Paint-By-Numbers Maestro Dan Robbins Dies At 93

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Sometime between the invention of the coloring book and the touchscreen came paint-by-numbers. The man who helped invent that system, Dan Robbins, died this week at age 93. NPR's Elizabeth Blair takes a moment to remember his legacy¹.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE²: It looks like paint-by-numbers might be the worst thing you could say about a painting, and yet the inspiration came from a technique used by master artist Leonardo da Vinci to help his assistants. Here's what happened.

After World War II, Dan Robbins was working for the Palmer Paint Company in Detroit. The owner, Max Klein, wanted a product that would appeal to the adult hobby market. Robbins started by picking a subject.

LARRY ROBBINS: Whether it was a seascape, a landscape, whatever, and paint the picture first.

BLAIR: Larry Robbins, Dan's son, says then, his dad would lay a clear, plastic sheet over the painting and assign numbers to the colors he used.

ROBBINS: Well, beginner kits⁴ might only have 20 colors. Or a more advanced kit³ might have 30 to 40 colors.

BLAIR: Add a couple of paint brushes and a canvas, encouraging words like every man a Rembrandt on the box, and voila, painting-by-numbers became a hit, with some 20 million kits sold in 1955. William Lawrence Bird curated an exhibition exploring the craze for the Smithsonian Museum of American History. He says Dan Robbins would read the mail to find out what people wanted to paint.

WILLIAM LAWRENCE BIRD: You know, pets, kittens, puppy dogs, horses. And some people, when they would finish the painting, they would sign it.

BLAIR: Critics were incensed⁵. They saw it as a time wasting, shallow activity. But Larry Robins⁶ says his dad didn't seem bothered.

ROBBINS: I don't think dad ever really got too caught up in the back and forth⁷ of whether paint-by-members was considered art or not. It gave an individual who would never have the opportunity to paint a beautiful picture the chance to experience art.

BLAIR: Dan Robbins continued making his own art and working freelance for commercial clients. Curator Bird says one of those jobs was designing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICK BOX'S "SONO")

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

4 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

5 incensed   

盛怒的

参考例句：

• The decision incensed the workforce. 这个决定激怒了劳工大众。
• They were incensed at the decision. 他们被这个决定激怒了。

6 robins   

n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书）

参考例句：

• The robins occupied their former nest. 那些知更鸟占了它们的老窝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Benjamin Robins then entered the fray with articles and a book. 而后，Benjamin Robins以他的几篇专论和一本书参加争论。 来自辞典例句

7 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。