Ever aspired to be an artist, but then came to the harsh and disappointing realisation that you lacked the required natural talent? Well, if you were born prior to the electronic age, there was a solution, apparently. The solution, you might well remember, was available in many a toy store.

I am, of course, referring to a kit consisting of a board on which light-blue or grey lines were printed, along with varying numbers and correspondingly numbered oil paints, as well as a paint brush to apply the oil paints to the board. Some of the kits were adorned by the logo ‘Every Man a Rembrandt’. Yes, it originated from an era past, of political incorrectness. Another logo screamed: ‘A beautiful oil painting the first time you try’.

The kits called, Paint by Number (or Painting by Numbers), were invented in 1950 by Max S Klein, an engineer and owner of the Palmer Paint Company, of Detroit, Michigan, US, along with Dan Robbins, a commercial artist. They became an immediate hit and bestseller. In 1951, Palmer Paint’s Craft Master brand sold more than 12-million of these kits. The kits’ success resulted in other companies following suit. You can still buy these kits today from selected toy stores or by visiting https://www.paintbynumberkits.com/.

On his death, in 1983, Klein’s daughter donated the Paint by Number archives to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, which subsequently placed them in its Archives Center, where they are available to the public for what it calls “research and exhibition purposes”. It is quite telling that the archives are not on display, isn’t it? Could it be that what you are able to create with these kits are no masterpieces? At best, what is created is valuable only to the person investing the time and effort, but for others it simply holds no value – commercial or otherwise – as it seems like a forgery of another’s work. But even a forgery it could not be considered, for a forgery requires talent. The completed Paint by Number work simply has little other than entertainment value for the person that invested the time and effort to complete it.

I was again reminded of South Africa’s obsession with colours and numbers by the recent uproar that followed the appointment of a new CEO for a leading cellular service provider. No mention was made of the individual’s ability; that was seemingly irrelevant – what was more relevant was the individual’s visual appearance. In a statement, the president of the Black Management Forum (BMF) offered the following insights: “There is a general unwillingness for transformation at top management level, which has resulted in the decline in the number of black South African [serving at that level]. These companies are owned by the public and yet they don’t reflect the demographics of our society.” The BMF CEO also questioned why the company, with a “majority of black people and under black chairmanship”, would choose a non-black CEO.

It was most disconcerting that, no matter how far South Africa, as a society, has come, it still has not outgrown its obsession with colour, be it in business or in sport. It is all quite disappointing. But it seems this is not confined to South African shores – in the words of African American Michael David Cobb Bowen, “It seems like colleges and employers have to lower their entry standards exclusively for certain demographic groups just to include more underrepresented minorities and avoid being labelled as ‘racist’ or ‘sexist’.” For whose benefit is such a measure?

So, your visual appearance, over which you have no control – being solely attributable to the discretion of your maker – is the determent and deterrent of your future. You might well have won the sperm lottery to enter this world, but you had no choice or say in the particular lottery that you took part in. Wish as you may wish, some days, you simply had no choice in who your parents would be. So, while you have no say in your visual appearance, or origin, this becomes the inhibiting factor in your future employment, rendering your capabilities quite simply irrelevant.

The thing with Paint by Number, in real life, is: Who decides on the picture and the corresponding colour scheme? Heaven forbid! South Africa pursues Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period, which you will recall as the term used to define the works produced by the Spanish painter between 1901 and 1904, when he painted essentially monochromatic paintings in shades of blue and blue-green, only on rare occasion warmed by other colours. As you can appreciate, these were considered ‘sombre works’, and, as can be expected, he had great difficulty selling them.

BOPP Film Application
On July 1, the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) informed that its February 19, 2016, tariff application had been terminated. Itac had received the tariff application from Amcor Flexible on September 14, 2015, which was for an increase in the ‘general’ rates of customs duties on printed biaxially orientated polypropylene (BOPP) film or polymers of propylene, classifiable under tariff subheading 3920.20.25, 3920.20.35 from 10% ad valorem to 20% ad valorem customs duty and 3920.20.45 from free (0%) of customs duty to 20% ad valorem customs duty. It is also described as other plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of plastics, noncellular and not reinforced, laminated, supported or similarly combined with other material which is used in the packaging industry.

As the reason for the withdrawal of the tariff application, Itac cited that, on May 11, it received a request from Amcor Flexible for the withdrawal of the tariff application, as the increase in the ‘general’ rate of customs duty is no longer supported by other domestic producers flexible packaging. Itac considered the request at its meeting held on June 14 and decided to terminate the tariff application.