Artist 10/20: Thomas Kinkade

I'm hitting up Kitch Central today baby! Thomas Kinkade. Oh yes. The king of cheesey marketability himself. And what can I say...yeah...I'm a sucker for pink trees and gazebos. He's known as the 'Painter of Light' and is apparently the most collected living artist.

Yes well...the man is a sellout whore. There's no denying that. His art can be seen on puzzles, candles, keychains, whatever, everywhere! And not only is his art "serene" and "heart string pulling" but the man is a sell out whore because he knows exactly what the american people want. His work almost reflects what I think is the idealic dillusion many americans have of this country. This self-riteous, pretentious, christian american attitude is slapping us in the face with every brushstroke. There's nothing real in the man's work. It's all dreamy and perfect which can rub some people the wrong way. I personally don't mind that so much as people trying to apply religous context. Then I find out that he's a born-again christian and yes, his work also reflects that with a sudden up-surge of crosses and prophetic sunbeams.

But is this shameless commercialization so wrong? What is the artist dream? I should think that all artists would dream to be taken seriously for their work within their lifetime. Perhaps its the fact that Kinkade hasn't done anything "new". The man is stinking filthy rich and I think most artist (myself included) are just bitter. We all want to change the world, not profit from taking advantage of what other people want. But even if your art was loved by the masses, wouldn't you be ok with slapping it on a t-shirt? The artist is a self-absorbed individual...I can attest to this.

Sadly, the more I read about the man, the less I like him but his garden work is just pristine and a part of me doesn't see these scenes as unattainable. My life-goal is to have a plot of land which has been landscaped with these paintings serving as ground plans. Even if it isn't a perfect representation, I like to depict people, places and things in their optimal potential.