Artistic styles ceased to be accepted without question, and art itself was no longer regarded as a craft; instead it became an academic subject.159 Painters no longer learned their skills with a master but instead would attend an academy of art, where they would methodically learn all the techniques of art from history. These academies began staging exhibitions in the leading cities of Europe, and buyers from polite society would attend and view the works on offer. Artists had to learn new skills in order to attract these buyers in an exhibition and many adopted bold colours and melodramatic themes to acquire attention. These changes in the place of art in society had many repercussions on the whole world of the artist.160 Traditionally artists had always produced their own pigments and paints. Recipes for these colours were handed down from master to apprentice over the generations, and were often closely guarded secrets. With the advent of art academies and an increase in the number of amateur painters simply painting for enjoyment, there arose a place for someone to supply pigments and colours to the art community.161 The new trade of the artist's colourman began, with businesses being set up to supply pigments, paints, brushes, canvases and all other materials to the professional and amateur artist alike.41,82
The beginnings of industrialization in Europe also influenced the world of art, and many dazzling scientific discoveries made in the field of chemistry rapidly unfolded to yield new and exciting pigments for the artist's palette.162 Artists were sometimes slow to take up these new discoveries, but as more new pigments were discovered the artist's colourmen really came into a world of their own.16