Absolutely captures his essence.
Once again, thanks my friend!
Posted on 04/07/2012 7:39:53 AM PDT by KansasGirl
(CBS/AP) One of the most successful artists of all time, prolific painter Thomas Kinkade - the self-described "Painter of Light" - died Friday at the age of 54.
A spokesperson for the Kinkade family said the artist died at home in Los Gatos, Calif., apparently of natural causes.
Kinkade's paintings were anything but controversial, depicting scenes of a light-filled America with a heavy emphasis on home, hearth and church. His sentimental scenes of country gardens and pastoral landscapes in dewy morning light were beloved by many but criticized by the art establishment.
The painter once said that he had something in common with Walt Disney and Norman Rockwell: He wanted to make people happy.
Those light-infused renderings are often prominently displayed in buildings, malls, and on products — generally depicting tranquil scenes with lush landscaping and streams running nearby. Many contain images from Bible passages.
"I'm a warrior for light," Kinkade, a self-described devout Christian, told the San Jose Mercury News in 2002, a reference to the medieval practice of using light to symbolize the divine. "With whatever talent and resources I have, I'm trying to bring light to penetrate the darkness many people feel."
And he had a large following: Kinkade's paintings and spin-off products were said to fetch some $100 million a year in sales, and to be in 10 million homes in the United States.
Absolutely captures his essence.
Once again, thanks my friend!
About 20 years ago, the WSJ had a story about Chinese mass production of original works via an assembly line of artists. One group would do the skies, another the foregrounds, etc.
Forgive me, but I can't let the occasion pass without mentioning the original "Painter of Light," JMW Turner.
LOL!
What an enjoyable thread. Ran across a freeper Mike??? who was sharing his work this week.
FR has a garden group, poetry, recipe, religion, etc We need a weekly art gathering. Why don’t one of you keep a list and post a gathering every now and then?
I've never particularly liked Kinkade's work. I've spent the past 23 years living among and with people who earn 100 percent of their income as artists (painters and designers) in the free-market system -- in other words, these artists are not making a living from government grants, but from free people who like their work enough to pay hard-earned money for it.
Few of my professional artist acquaintances like Kinkade's work, either, BUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM understands that Kinkade had a helluva lot more than simply "a knack for handling light." As for considering his work "vulgar," a person who would call it such is either an extraordinarily brilliantly skilled Michaelangelo/DaVinci in one, OR an art snob who couldn't paint his way out of a paper bag.
There's art, and there's bullsh*t art. Here's a simple test: look at "piece" and ask yourself: given the materials and time, could you reasonably reproduce it in a day, a week, or even a year? If the answer is yes, then it's bullsh*t art that, while it may be attractive, is at best "sentimental art." Andy Warhol, and much of the "modern art" of the '60s and '70s, come to mind. Audacity, not skill, was the active ingredient in THAT "art."
Hinckley Buzzard, unless you are a professional artist (and you may be, for all I know), in 50 years, given the paint and the canvas, you couldn't reproduce, let alone create out of white canvas, a single one of Kinkade's works, and neither could I.
I am very sad to hear of Kinkade's passing. He was a gift from God.
It was my pleasure. :)
I LOVE YOUR POST!! You are a SMART person when it comes to art. The art you buy will be valued a HELL OF A LOT MORE 100 years from now than probably a lot of the "art" as defined by snooty critics of Kinkade.
And another thing: your art is HEALTHY art. Studies have shown that abstract "modern" art where the canvas depicts nothing recognizable to the brain, is BAD for healing, and people in hospitals heal much better with things like landscapes. It's why you don't see a bunch of abstract art in the latest, greatest cancer-curing hospitals.
I repeat: you are a SMART art consumer.
I happen to have liked Thomas Kincade’s art. Being from New England, all the houses I have owned have looked a lot like a Thomas Kincade painting.
Dittos on Warhol, about the same on Picasso. I live a couple of miles from the Warhol museum but have never been nor I plan on going.
I guess it’s like music. I like and often prefer classical and opera but this morning “It’s April Again” - from ZsaZsa, Percy Faith and others- has been playing here. Then when I play guitar it’s mostly bluegrass, old country western or Irish/celtic songs.
We are complicated creations, LOL!
Gosh, Maxfield Parrish’s stuff was GREAT! Talk about restful!
You got that right.
They aren't really "originals" but rather copies done in oil paints. There's still a lot of work goes into any oil painting.
Back on KIncaid, he figured out how to make money ~ and his stuff is friendly.
Just finished a morning listening up on ABBA and ZZTopp
His website has crashed. I'll try to post some favorites later.
I must be a snob, since I look down on snobs, especially art snobs. TK’s products are beautiful and most certainly qualify as art.
As for his personal life, I’m sure it was as full of warts as any other artist’s — but his vision was unblemished, which distinguishes him from all too many snob-approved hacks.
Sometimes you have to crush the flower to get the sweetest fragrance.
RIP.
“How do you die at home at age 54?”
There are a lot of ways. My grandfather died of a heartattack at age 55 sitting at home reading a novel. Lived clean, worked hard, then just up and died at 55.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.