CREDIT: AMITMEHTAARTS.COM
Who knew that a simple invention like a tube for paint would change art forever?

The landscape of painting as an art has surely evolved over the years. From what paintbrushes and paints were made of to popular subject matter — these things seem to be ever-changing, moulding themselves to fit what modern society looks like. (It would have been considered inconceivable for an artist to paint a canvas with their own blood a hundred years ago, but now some are moving to drastic gimmicks to attract attention in our severely swollen culture). But no one has ever changed the painters' scene more significantly than John G. Rand.

An unrecognized name by most accounts, Rand was an American portrait artist who made his living in Boston painting rich families. As he gained credibility in his field, he travelled to London, England to paint members of the royal family. While there, he invented the paint tube.

The tin paint tube is such a staple in an artist's arsenal of supplies now that most of us don't even think that it hasn't always existed — I imagine, before now, you've conjured an image of Michelangelo laying on his back, painting the Sistine Chapel with a paintbrush, palette and tubes of paint at his side. But that wasn't the case at all. Although unconfirmed (because I wasn't there), it is very likely that he was actually painting with a brush, palette, and pig bladders. Prior to Rand's invention, artists would mix small amounts of pigment and oil to create paint, and then store it in a pig's bladder tied shut with a string. To access the paint, they'd prick the bladder with something like a tack, exposing it. Gross. And impractical. Once the bladder had been pricked, there was no way to seal it as tightly again, and the paint would dry out if not used shortly after it was exposed to the air. This was limiting in many ways, most significantly, due to the fragility of the bladders, artists could not travel with their paint. They were confined to indoor studios.

So, when Rand invented and patented the paint tube in 1841, it gave artists the opportunity to travel with their supplies. For a while, nobody really capitalized on his invention. It was more convenient, sure, but everyone pretty much stayed put in their studios... until the Impressionists got a hold of the invention. Every movement starts with a few restless artists who want to shake things up. The Impressionists were a group of painters who were opposing the status quo of the European art scene, refusing to paint rich families, stoically sitting for hours, trying not to scratch their noses. Rather, they wanted to paint what they saw on the walk home every day — people smiling, laughing, crying; nature in all its glory and horror. They wanted to paint what life was really like, not an idealization of the upper class. The paint tube allowed them to do just that. They were then able to pack up their paints and stool, and perch in front of a meadow of flowers, or in a park.

This is another thing that modern artists often don't consider: that painting hasn't always been about freedom of expression. It used to be an incredibly calculated craft, almost resembling a mathematic formula. You would be commissioned to paint what people wanted, when they wanted, and the way they wanted it. Now, artists are widely considered as the free spirits who travel where the wind takes them, soaking the world in around us. And if it weren't for John G. Rand, our canvas would be far less colourful.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.