Dark Portrait of a 'Painter of Light'

latimes. ^ | March 5, 2006 | Kim Christensen

[tbird5]

Christian-themed artist Thomas Kinkade is accused of ruthless tactics and seamy personal conduct. He disputes the allegations.

Thomas Kinkade is famous for his luminous landscapes and street scenes, those dreamy, deliberately inspirational images he says have brought "God's light" into people's lives, even as they have made him one of America's most collected artists.

A devout Christian who calls himself the "Painter of Light," Kinkade trades heavily on his beliefs and says God has guided his brush — and his life — for the last 20 years.

"When I got saved, God became my art agent," he said in a 2004 video biography, genteel in tone and rich in the themes of faith and family values that have helped win him legions of fans, albeit few among art critics.

But some former Kinkade employees, gallery operators and others contend that the Painter of Light has a decidedly dark side.

[ladyjane]

Speaking of Dali and of light - his Last Supper is breathtaking. Prints of it don't begin to capture what he did on the canvas.

[bonfire]

Dali's Last Supper hung in my Pastor's office when I was growing up. All of us kids used to stare at it and Pastor LOVED explaining it to us.

[dangus]

>> Boss Ross's schtick was to show that ANYONE could learn to paint. TK is proof that not everyone SHOULD paint! <<

Bwahaha! Thanks for the chuckle!

[LexBaird]

A Pollock in person is an impressive thing. If you haven't been there, hold back your judgement.

I've been there. He sucks.

[BibChr]

Agree with your first paragraph, totally disagree with your second. Let's see your grandma's work. Wish I could paint like Kinkade.

This is -- believe me -- written conversationally, not angrily: how do you feel competent to define what is and isn't "art"? Having something you want to say, and being able to say it with skill and beauty and in a way that highlights some good aspect of God's creation -- that's not art?

I feel competent to say, "I like this, I don't like that." I feel competent to say, "This looks like it was done skillfully, in terms of saying what the artist wanted to say. This looks like it was done by a drunk three-year-old."

I feel far too hesitant to say, "That is done with skill and beauty, it accomplishes what the artist wants to accomplish, it brings out something good about God's creation -- but it isn't art."

If you say Kinkade doesn't fit the definition of the preceding paragraph, then I guess our contexts are too unrelated to carry much more conversation.

Dan

[hellinahandcart]

I think Dan's point is 'those folks' who consistently distrust the LA Times... ..suddently take their word for this whole hit piece.

You only assume that 'those folks' are taking the LA Times at their word. Please see my reply at #190.

The huge edition sizes and saturation of the market are not opinions or allegations, but facts. Those facts existed before the LA Times article, they existed before the lawsuits, and yes they existed when everyone was ignoring them and still making money. This outcome was predictable, IMO.

Some of us out here have regarded the whole Thomas Kinkade phenomenon as kind of an Amway for Art for a long time. Since that opinion has been long formed, the current opinion of the LA Times is immaterial.

[ladyjane]

If you ever see the actual painting you'll be stunned. It is huge and it seems to glow as if light is emanating from it.

I saw it only once years ago in the National Gallery (I think)and still remember vividly coming around the corner and seeing the picture looming ahead of me.

[bonfire]

Just one more item to put on my list of "Things to See and Do"!

[Carolina]

I don't believe in moral relativism one bit, but I do believe in ARTISTIC relativism. In music, I believe there is beauty in Handel of one sort, in Metallica of another sort, and both speak to people and both are valid. In fact, there is no "invalid" when dealing with the right brain - God made it that way.

Care to reassess your statement?

Here is "No Salvation" with spray-painted chicken feet

Here's "Our Father who art in Heaven" with a sheep cadaver, a rosary, and a Bible.

And here's "Sacred Heart of Jesus" with a bull's heart pierced with surgical instruments:

And here is a crucifixion by the same artist above

And, last, here is "Adam and Eve"

Alas, my friend, this is artistic relativism in full bloom. Here is a quote from the Decadent Movement of the 19th Century:

Sin is no sin when virtue is forgot.
It is so good in sin to keep in sight
The white hills whence we fell, to measure by . . .
Ah, that's the thrill! . . .
First drink the stars, then grunt amid the mire.

Richard Le Gallienne, from "The Décadent to His Soul"

I defy you to find beauty in such depravity.

[spectre]

Charming...isn't it?

sw

[Miss Marple]

Excellent post! Thanks for taking the time to show us the stuff that's in the galleries. If people don't see it, they don't really believe it.

[LexBaird]

A nice Church in the Huntington. Now THAT'S a "painting of light". BTW, Church was the "Kinkade" of his time, in terms of popularity.

[Republicanprofessor]

This contemporary work is not the only abstract work that's going on. I agree, this work is junk. But that doesn't make Kincade good. The alternative is not Kincade or postmodern junk.

There are many decent artists working out there who do not get the attention they deserve.

Maybe we need a new ping list for all hard-working artists who need more press. Or perhaps we could establish our own FR gallery, not only of FR artists, illustrators, etc, but for artists whose works we do like.

[LexBaird]

Am I the only one who saw the Boondock's episode where...

You may be the only FReeper who's willingly watched a Boondock's episode, period.

[Republicanprofessor]

I love your recent posts, and I love to track the numbers of viewers.

It's a great deal easier to track viewers if you could put Art in the Keyword slot when you post them. (Or just let me know if you used another keyword that I can use to search with.)

Just a suggestion, for all who are inspired to post an art-related article. :)

Thanks for all your great work in the arts. It is wonderful to get thousands reading these bubble-gum and Kincade articles.

[Antoninus]

I wonder if the "commentary" says what you think it does. I see a man who, by his dress and demeanor, is not someone you would expect to be interested in Jackson Pollock. But he is spending time with this painting, not hurrying by it - studying it, seeing what it might have to say to him.

You got it right on the nose. However, you're missing the irony. Rockwell was a realist painter who was constantly criticized during his lifetime and after for being outside the artistic mainstream and catering to popular tastes. A work like this, showing a realistic man looking at a splatter-junk painting is his reserved take on the modern art world. One can almost see the perplexed look on the face of the man in the suit, wondering what he's doing looking at this piece of garbage and trying really hard to appreciate it. After all, if it's hanging in a museum, it must be great art, right?

[Carolina]

But that doesn't make Kincade good. The alternative is not Kincade or postmodern junk.

Oh, I agree. Here is a sample of Larry Kudlow's wife, Judy's work.

Reminiscent of Vermeer.

[itsamelman]

[Sisku Hanne]

I always thought Bierstadt's mountains were supposed to be more allegorical. It's part visual accounting and part expressing the experience of having all of God's creation infusing every atom of his being; the sense of smallness in the face of unimagined grandeur.

Kincaide is not my cup of tea (then again neither is the velvet Indian Chief my husband has hanging in his butcher shop). But this article seems more about wallowing in the glee of airing Kincaide's dirty laundry than anything else. I don't follow this man's career at all - why is he such a hot topic right now?

[linda_22003]

Sorry if my humor was turned off; on another board about the "gum incident", people were saying the Frankenthaler painting basically deserved what it got for not being their idea of "art", and I guess the steady drumbeat of ignorance gave me a headache. :)