You’ve heard the news by now; renowned and reviled Painter of
Light (trademark) Thomas Kinkade has died.
Hundreds of articles are being written about him even as I
write mine, and thousands of online readers are posting comments either adoring
or scathing and snarky. As a member of the art community, and a blogger as
well, I get to add my 2 cents and small beam of light to the conversation. (And
for using the word ‘light’ in connection with his name, I will probably get
sued and owe money to his estate.)
It seems folks either
love him or hate his work. I was never a fan. My friend has a small collection.
His images make her feel good. They
don’t trip my trigger. So what’s the big
deal?
I suppose we want our artists to fit our pre-conceived mold;
artist as thoughtful, slightly daft, non-business oriented, emotional, shy, as set-apart from the 9 to 5 world as
the moon is from the sun.
It appears that Kinkade was none of those things. He was a calculating business man and a
marketing whiz. He provided the masses
with charming cottages and flower-lined paths despite the best efforts of the current
art movement to shock and bewilder with preserved sharks and giant ballooncreatures.
He was the art world’s version of Wal-Mart.
Don’t we all love to bash Wal-Mart? They’re everywhere; inexpensive,
low brow, white-bread. It is said they
don’t pay their employees what they deserve.
They buy goods from companies outside our borders. Their growth has
stifled small business owners and wiped out individual shops across the
country.
And yet…
When you need a gallon of paint, a pair of white socks, a
box of cereal and a tire iron, it’s just so much easier to sneak into Wal-Mart
and grab it all in one fell swoop. We
can hate ourselves for it tomorrow.
Wal-mart fills a void that Harrod’s doesn’t – or won't. (Can you imagine Wal-Mart having a visitor's guide?) Kinkade filled the void
left by Damien Hirst and others of his ilk. Kinkade understood that and played
the game like a master.
At a certain level, it’s all business. Sorry to burst that bubble.
Flick the lights once or twice. Shoppers, the store will be closing in 10
minutes.
Condolences to the Kinkade family.
4 comments:
Fun post, as always! I agree that since he has left us we might as well give Kincaid kudos for figuring how to be an artist and millionaire.
I've been looking for that recipe as well. When I find it, I will shout it from the roof tops!
Amen to that sister! I remember being brought to my senses one time when I brought in a variety of images to a very sick patient. She flicked through them, looking for images to collage. Many of the images had been donated and among them were some Thomas Kincaid cards. The pleasure and comfort of discovering his images was remarkable. Put me in my place for snap judgement. I still don't like them, but I tolerance is a blessing...
It's a big world. There's room for just about everyone, isn't there?
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