R.I.P. Thomas Kinkade

[Stella_Omega]

The self-titled "Painter Of Light" died of unknown causes last night.

Although I mock Lovecraft for his polemics against E.L. James and Stephanie Meyer, I have to admit I feel the same way about Kinkade.

I think the man was a huckster, a con artist, and a thief-- both as a painter and as a businessman.

But that's just me. And I totally admit that some of his silly pink-sunsetted vistas can make me catch my breath and wish I were there.

 

[lovecraft68]

The self-titled "Painter Of Light" died of unknown causes last night.

Although I mock Lovecraft for his polemics against E.L. James and Stephanie Meyer, I have to admit I feel the same way about Kinkade.

I think the man was a huckster, a con artist, and a thief-- both as a painter and as a businessman.

But that's just me. And I totally admit that some of his silly pink-sunsetted vistas can make me catch my breath and wish I were there.

Saw this today and any death is a shame.

although as you say I mock people like this there is something to be said for being able to market oneself and play the industry.

Stan Lee was hailed as the man who put Marvel comics on the map and the creator of some of the most amazing characters in the industry.

There are many books out now that claim that Lee was simply a snake oil salesman who's specialty was self promotion while grunts like Kirby and Ditko did the actual work. Whether it's true or not anyone that says it is now accused of sour grapes.

As anyone who mocks E.L. and other P.T. Barnum like people is accused of.

End of the day you can have principles or make cash. These people made cash.

 

[jomar]

Always though his paintings were kind of creepy. The artists I know don't thnk much of his work. But hey, he sold it and people bought it.

 

[Dual_Triode]

His pastoral scenes of divine light bathing idyllic cottages is not my cup of tea, but it is valid artwork nonetheless. I see a lot of his work hanging in homes and offices.

R.I.P. Mr. Kinkade.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

The major criticism of Kinkade was that he sold his paintings in stores all across the country, marketing them as investment pieces that would go up in value during the lifetime of he owner. But he produced so many pieces that he eliminated any resale market, thereby destroying their investment value. Still, it was a good ride while it lasted.

 

[mikey2much]

They'll go up in price now

All an artist has to do to inflate the value of his work is to die, and while it is sad for the man it will help the value of his work.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

His compositions and subject matter were, IMO, trite to the nth degree but his technique was faultless. Many an artist acclaimed by the academic critics couldn't draw flies with a truckload of fresh BS but Kinkade could. Could he ever! I wrote my thesis as an investigation of the idea that what we call Art is merely the artifact. Art is an evolutionarily adaptation that bonds a group together. No one can deny that those who loved Kinkade's work were an in-group of their own. From that standpoint, his artwork succeeded.

 

[jomar]

Like Disney World has fans that bleed Disney...all spare time invested in Disney, all vacations to Disney with the hope they'll one day get chosen to drive the train and be on the cover of the Disney World magazine. Most everything has its fanatics.

 

[YDB95]

I have to admit, his work is a guilty pleasure of mine. Saccharine as all getout, but walking past a display of his work in a store window on a lousy day could always make me wish I were in that world instead of this one.

 

[TE999]

I've always considered Kinkade's body of work to be condensed treacle; not unlike paintings of Elvis on black velvet, Hummel figurines and the Care Bears. That being said, he struck a chord in the public's consciousness and exploited it fully. His was less of an artistic talent than an example of shrewd psychological marketing. He died of cirrhosis of the liver after a lifetime of drinking. R.I.P. Kinkade.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Hearing what people have to say about this 'exploitative' artist... It makes me wonder what we'll say about the great hacks of this era when they die.

What will we say at the funerals of Michael Bay, Stephanie Meyer, Justin Beiber, and all of the others that are considered by many to be popular but talentless hacks?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Do remember that during his life, the aristocracy and poetic classes considered Shakespeare a theatrical hack as well. After all, he wrote about regular people and showed the royalty in a sometimes less-than-complimentary manner instead of restricting himself to uplifting plots on Classical subject. Popularity is popularity and has little bearing on talent and critical acclaim. Critical acclaim changes from one generation to the next so that during his life Norman Rockwell was dismissed as 'merely an illustrator' but is now recognized as the preeminent portraitist of the mid-XX century.

 

[biwenga]

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[Stella_Omega]

Do remember that during his life, the aristocracy and poetic classes considered Shakespeare a theatrical hack as well. After all, he wrote about regular people and showed the royalty in a sometimes less-than-complimentary manner instead of restricting himself to uplifting plots on Classical subject...

Kinkade is problematic in exactly the opposite way.

 

[PennLady]

Always though his paintings were kind of creepy. The artists I know don't thnk much of his work. But hey, he sold it and people bought it.

His paintings creeped me out because -- I think -- I knew he was pushing the buttons and painting what people liked. Like you knew you were supposed to like it and that was just weird.

But you may appreciate this slideshow parody -- it's not mean-spirited, and some are quite funny. It's at Salon.com; if you have trouble I think you can see the original at somethingawful.com.