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I disagree. They are sentimental, but they are good art. The sophisticates hate sentimentality. They also hate Christians. Ergo, their disdain. This is not “velvet Elvis.” This is more of a classic style that will survive the ages.

You've already fallen into the trap: "It's not because I'm rude, disdainful, dishonest, lazy, less-than-competent, stupid, or unimaginative. You're not giving me the promotion/you don't like me/you hate me/you're rejecting my application/you're failing my job interview/you're giving me a bad grade on my test because I'm black/gay/Hispanic/fat/female/Rosicrucian/tattooed/old/young/male."

A large portion of the greatest Western art of the past 2000 years features Christian themes. The artistic merit of these works is not despised because of the subject matter. And they are not taken to be great art because of their subject matter.

The reason a lot of people who know art dislike most of Kinkade's work of the past 30 years is not because he's Christian but because, technically, it's crap. He's found one trait (the light) that's necessary among many, many others for a painting to be good and has used it as a substitute for everything else. It would be like a pianist eschewing everything else in the technical repertoire but the trill, "He's a wonderful artist! Have you ever heard anyone do a trill like that!" "But that's all he does! Everything else is degraded or missing." "You're just saying that because he's a Christian!"

A "classic style" may survive the ages, but Kinkade's enduring claim to fame will be his abuse of this style.

The reason a lot of people who know art dislike most of Kinkade's work of the past 30 years is not because he's Christian but because, technically, it's crap. He's found one trait (the light) that's necessary among many, many others for a painting to be good and has used it as a substitute for everything else. It would be like a pianist eschewing everything else in the technical repertoire but the trill, "He's a wonderful artist! Have you ever heard anyone do a trill like that!" "But that's all he does! Everything else is degraded or missing." "You're just saying that because he's a Christian!"

My daughter - both a very strong Christian and an accomplished art teacher told me pretty much the same thing years ago.

Personally, I think his art mimicks pantheism and New Age more than Christianity.

Ah, the artist’s critique, there are dozens of us out here, I assure you... The age old question, what is art? Hence, who is an artist? In the case of Mr. Kincade, his use or misuse of a “style”, was his style, whether borrowed or original, he has made his impression on this world. He is envied by many would be artists; his work had a demand, and he died selling his work, something many artists only dream about. Poor is the artist who screams, “THIS IS ART”, for it expresses a depravity no other medium can. Many may side with his definition, but few would actually buy his “stuff”. Say what you will, Kincade’s work whether art or craft, will fill at least one page of art history, ten, twenty, probably 100 years from now... our work most probably, will not.