Thomas Kinkade - "Painter of Light" - Dies

AP ^ | 4/7/12 | John S. Marshall

[boatbums]

California artist Thomas Kinkade, whose brushwork paintings of idyllic landscapes, cottages and churches were big sellers for dealers across the country, died Friday, a family spokesman said.

Kinkade, 54, died at his home in Los Gatos in the San Francisco Bay Area of what appeared to be natural causes, David Satterfield said.

Kinkade's sentimental paintings, with their scenes of cottages, country gardens and churches in dewy morning light, were beloved by middlebrow America but reviled by the art establishment.

The paintings generally depict tranquil scenes with lush landscaping and streams running nearby. Many contain images from Bible passages.

Kinkade, a self-described devout Christian, claimed to be the nation's most collected living artist. His 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.

"I'm a warrior for light," he told the San Jose Mercury News in 2002, in reference to his technical skills but also 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."

[dps.inspect]

So your spiritual gift is to dash the good thoughts of others... bully for you my friend, bully for you... impetuousness is not a spiritual gift.

[lupie]

o your spiritual gift is to dash the good thoughts of others... bully for you my friend, bully for you... impetuousness is not a spiritual gift.

Actually, the only GOOD thing comes from above - and that always points to the sufficiency of Christ Jesus and to the need of man for repentance for man's works. To say that God NEEDS a man in heaven for whatever reason is to undermine the holiness and sovereignty of God. It may seem to you that it is "dashing" the good thoughts of someone, but if those those are dashing the character of God then they are not "good" thought. Oh, they might be pleasant ones to people's ear, but not to God.

Actually, topping my spiritual gifts are discernment and the speaking out of God's truth. Not popular ones by any means to those who cling to man-centered and not God-centered ideas - which is always our nature to want to do until He brings us into repentance. Why do you think that is impetuous? Why the name calling?

[lupie]

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.

[dps.inspect]

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.

[dps.inspect]

Look up the term impetuous... it is a “youthful” trait. One that takes no notice of even the God given goodness that abounds in others, but mistakes it for worldly rubbish. Be careful that you are so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good... I know our answer, save it.

[katiedidit1]

Beautiful! as for me..I prefer looking at a picture that is soothing and worth looking at..Kinkade had that talent imo and I could care less what anyone elese thinks about his paintings. I am and always will be a big fan of the Painter of Light.
God blessed this man with such a gift and he shared it with the world.

[lupie]

Look up the term impetuous... it is a “youthful” trait

LOL - that is the first time in a VERY long time that someone has called me youthful in regard to either my physical or my spiritual life. : )

Be careful that you are so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good

Can you show me the contextual scriptural foundation for such a statement? It seems to me quite the opposite of what the Word of God teaches. I am curious to see the basis of that statement.

[Albion Wilde]

Norman Rockwell is a good comparison. The fact that he was reviled by the art establishment is a point in his favor.

They also reviled Andrew Wyeth, whose paintings are divine.

[dps.inspect]

“Youthful” is a euphemism for immature... sorry to be so blunt... citing chapter and verse may earn you points in a bible quiz but I’m not certain it is needed every time you engage in discussion. No, of course there is no scripture to pull from to back these words, “don’t be so heavenly minded...”. I learned them while in bible college, meaning, you can cite chapter and verse all day long, and without effect, because sometimes what is needed is concern of the individual, not a sermon or homily.

When I said I knew your response, I knew: A. You couldn’t resist responding; B. Almost to the “t” the wording of your response, and C. You must respond again... to win.

[zwerni]

Lighten up

[aruanan]

We loved his paintings as well until we talked to some of the dealers. Apparently he would force dealers into selling his inventory. In many cases some of the dealers went bankrupted. We never bought a Kinkade and after that I could never bring myself to consider purchasing one.

I don't understand Christians who act this way. In the end, we take nothing with us as he has just found out.

Thomas Kinkade Lawsuit

Thanks for the link.

[boatbums]

But I have Lautrec and Magritte prints on my office and living room wall, and yeah, I'd be embarrassed to put a Kinkade up next to them. It's almost like taste is a personal thing or sumpin....

What's the saying, "Different strokes for different folks"?There are a few Lautrecs I like, though most appeared he had an obsession with the Moulin Rouge, Vaudville and cat-houses and bars in general. This one is nice:

And this:

Magritte is a lot like Dali, surrealistic and weird. I went to the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida and was amazed at his work. For the most part, he painted like he was taking LSD but some of them were remarkable. I prefer realistic art like Renoir and Monet. I guess that is why Kinkade appealed to me - not all of his work, but quite a bit.

This is a Magritte I like:

[pollywog]

I have many of Thomas Kinkades paintings. I love them and now they will mean more to me than ever. The novels that he co-authored are great too.
God be with his family. He is with the Light of Light’s tonight!!

[Revolting cat!]

Inept kitsch doesn’t last and doesn’t enter history books! (If I’m wrong, show me an art history book which admiringly cites kitsch from 100 and 200 years ago.) Kinkade’s kitsch has been successful only because of marketing. (Still, it bankrupted many Kinkade franchised gallery owners.) There are many American artists that even the buyers of Kinkade prints (yes, they are all prints, with dabbles of paint made by slave workers in his San Jose factory) could appreciate, yet they starve, because all art, music, literature in this country have been industrialized and sold by marketing organizations, like toothpaste and cereal. Trash is trash and our duty to ourselves is to learn the difference between , say, Kenny G, and James Galloway.

[dps.inspect]

So the terms art and artist, are reserved for whomever the self appointed gatekeepers of the “fine” arts say they are... highfalutin bull-schtick!

[marygam]

lupie, lighten up. Sorry I offended you, but in my world we are all sinners and God forgives sinners. I don’t know Kincades heart, I know “I” liked his paintings and they were always respectful of my savior. Have a wonderful Easter.