The World Loses a Legend: Thomas Kinkade

He was called "the painter of light"... And his work is truely amazing...

Those that appreciate art, please have a look at some of his paintings...



Now what is interesting is the reason he's called the painter of light... I actually have 4 of his paintings on my wall... And i must say they are incredible... Depending on the time of day, "the lighting" in his work actually changes... And theres no batteries, no lights... just paint... As evening comes you'll notice the pictures seem to dim slightly, and different colours come out... IF the painting involves a house... the lights within the house seem to slowly become brighter as the evening progresses...

Thomas Kinkade was an amazing artist... but he left the world with much to remember him by...

Sadly he passed on Friday in his home of natural causes...
www.nytimes.com...

Its a shame those that can give us a glimpse of heaven, leave us so soon...

Rest in Peace Thomas Kinkade (January 19, 1958 – April 6, 2012)

I have the Garden of Prayer s/n painting hanging in my foyer. I have had some hard times in my life but I have still managed to hang onto this painting through some very difficult financial and emotional times. His work is so beautiful and he contributed a great deal in his shortened life. I hope he experiences the peace and light that was reflected in his paintings.

Wow, and all the hate in the responses on that link.

He was truely a gifted artist. I loved many of his paintings, as well as my wife. Makes me appriciate his gifts to the world that much more.

reply to post by calnorak


There will always be haters my friend...

I don't understand how anyone couldn't appreciate the beauty in his paintings

These are just pictures... the real paintings are very impressive...

They're almost like an illusion

That is so odd those people saying those terrible things, were they jealous?, I think his art is beautiful!, so sad, and only 54. R.I.P. Thomas Kinkade.

I always thought his work was pretty nice.
He added a little mystique to his worlds, the way Norman Rockwell added a little whimsy to his.
RIP at way too young.

The man is worth more than his paintings; I will miss him, but not his paintings. It comes down to individual taste in art. Somehow, Thomas Kinkade and Anne Geddes art makes me squick. Not so much for the art itself (it's the kind of closeted art appreciation I might have if I knew nobody knew I enjoyed it, maybe the artist's name did it to my mind), but the massive generic you-have-to-like-this-or-you're-not-Christian consumer acceptance put me at odds with the art. In essence, to be accepted by the preacher's wife and her clutch of skirted followers at church, you have to just loooove her taste in Kinkade, and lying to her face, although it would make me accepted by the group, would put me in a state of immorality. The art vexed me to see it, knowing that somewhere, someone was plonking down 30 grand for a Kinkade original, and still asking me for my ten percent on Sunday while I was struggling to make ends meet.

I did get to see Thomas Kinkade, may he rest in peace, once, at a mall in Valencia California, around 2003. First impression was, "why is that scruffy guy, who looks like he's had a drink or two, painting inside a Thomas Kinkade Gallery, and why are there so many preacher-types at the mall today?" Scruffy guy was Kinkade, and one of the preacher-types was Rick Warren, who had a church in Valencia/Santa Clarita at the time. Like I said, I miss the person more than his products.

I want to give this disclaimer to my post: I understand it's okay that you guys enjoy this man's work and I think you should be allowed to celebrate him. That said, I have my opinion.

The reason people don't like Thomas Kinkade is that, first off, he wasn't a very good person. Here's an LA Times article that sums most of it up: Thomas Kinkade's Life Was Often At Odds With His Pastoral Vision.

If you want a bullet point version, here we go:

-Drunk driving arrest
-Public urination, including an incident at Disneyworld
-Groped a female fan
-Sued several times and investigated by the FBI for his business practices, which also ruined a couple store owners.
-Shouted and cursed at a woman who tried to help him when he fell down dead drunk.
-Did all of these things while waving the flag of Christianity, a label he used to draw people in, but a philosophy he obviously did practice.

And he held several views that a lot of people (including myself) view as contrary to the notion of art. There's no doubt that he was a very technically proficient artist. But that's like saying a machine is an incredible artisan. Kinkade believed that art wasn't about self-expression and personal creativity. Art should be about self-expression, it should reflect something of the creator. That's prevailing notion of all art, whether it's paintings or music or writing. Here's Kinkade's opinion on self-expression in art: "To this day, I find it odious that that notion is fostered within the arts. It is very self-serving and a self-absorbed kind of approach to creativity that really is ineffective. In fact, artists have fought the wrong battle over the past 75 to 100 years. The battle has been one for the freedom of expression, the battle to obtain freedom of expression. Well, artists have won that battle but, in the meantime, they’ve lost the war for cultural relevancy and a positive impact on society."

What Kinkade is really saying is that art that comes from within doesn't sell well. The audience should be a secondary thought. Otherwise, it's just a product, it's a focused-grouped, market tested product. It's like almost all the music of the radio, it's made specifically to sell, not necessarily to be good. And it does sell. Kinkade mass produces his art. He sold it any form he could. And it's not because he wanted to touch as many people as possible with his art, but because he wanted to make as much money as he could.

He was the McDonald's of art, the Wal-Mart, And he exploited the faith of his fans to make more money. And he talks down to people in his paintings. He makes them as simple as possible, because he doesn't think people are smart enough to appreciate it if he does.