Well, I'll at least give you my take on it.
First, there is some truth to the idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though that is really just another way of saying that we all have different preferences. This applies to not just painting, but to all art, music, poetry, prose, theater, etc. But it's plain enough that there are standards for those art forms that transcend personal preferences; there is good music and bad, good writing and bad, good acting and bad. You might prefer a paperback romance to, say, Huckleberry Finn, but you wouldn't think they are equal.
It seems only with "fine art" painting that the idea has taken root that it is all equal and not subject to objective standards.
I think I am right in saying that this idea dates strictly from the 20th century, especially the latter half. It's how stuff like Christ in urine (or whatever that was) gets justified as "art," for instance.
In any case, here are the five recognized (not by me, but by all artists who practice realism) quantifiers for judging the craftsmanship in realism in painting: skill in drawing, treatment of value (Kincaid's light), use of color, handling of edges, effectiveness in composition (referred to by commercial men as "layout").
FWIW, while I don't think Kincaid's work is great, it is not done without skill...I do find an insincerity and cynicism in it that is a real turnoff. It's like presenting a dish of icing and calling it a cake. Tastes sweet at first, but then you gag.
"""In any case, here are the five recognized (not by me, but by all artists who practice realism) quantifiers for judging the craftsmanship in realism in painting: skill in drawing, treatment of value (Kincaid's light), use of color, handling of edges, effectiveness in composition (referred to by commercial men as "layout").
FWIW, while I don't think Kincaid's work is great, it is not done without skill...I do find an insincerity and cynicism in it that is a real turnoff. It's like presenting a dish of icing and calling it a cake. Tastes sweet at first, but then you gag."""
Again, so Kinkade doesn't agree with the "recognized experts" of today--tomorrow may paint a different evaluation. Again, these "standards" of realism are set subjectively. Your perception of "insincerity and cynicism" are likewise subjective evaluations. The market place of personal preference tells a very different story about Kincade's art because he is very popular.