The most important thing in choosing a piece of art is that you buy art that you like, that makes you feel happy. People who buy art just because other people say it's cool or valuable help promote shitty artworks like the Piss Jesus and Banana Taped to A Wall. That's why I'm not quoting anybody's particular posts about Thomas Kinkade; if you like him, good for you, buy his stuff and be happy; go with God.
But Thomas Kinkade does not make me happy. Thomas Kinkade is a hack. I strongly dislike him, for a number of reasons. Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.
My first reason for disliking Kinkade is his work itself. If I stand and look at ANY of Thomas Kinkade's works, including and especially any work that is generally popular and has sold thousands and thousands of copies, I will spot a continuity error every single time. The most common error I see is a lack of a shadow where there should be a shadow. The second error is an inconsistency in light source, which is epidemic in his work. His "cozy cabins" always look like they're on fire to me, because the light is coming from everywhere at once, and that's just not the way that light works. I could go on about this for a week, so I won't.
My other issue with Kinkade is his business practices. Kinkade hires college art graduates and sets them to cranking out Kinkades like a bitch cranks out puppies. Kinkade himself shows up once a month or so, puts the last few brush strokes on the canvases, and BAM! Signed Kinkade, $1,000 please. You could say, "At least the artists have a job," but working for Kinkade seems to burn out any talent or inspiration that these young artists ever had. I've known at keast 2 ex-Kinkades, and none of them are still artists after working for him. Kinkade even sold prints on QVC to lonely grandmas who couldn't resist that house-on-fire look. Kinkade has whored himself out further by now creating branded Disney, Marvel, and Harry Potter artworks. Atrocious. He's not even pretending to be an artist any more, he's just going for the money now. Thomas Kinkade's real talent isn't painting, it's in the monetization of his work where he's shown his true genius.
If you want to talk about a True and Honest American Artist who didn't specialize in crucifixes floating in a fishbowl full of piss, look no further than Bob Ross. Sure, Bob Ross had happy accidents and cranked out paintings pretty fast, but at least he was the one who painted them. Bob Ross made very little money for his paintings and getting a hold of one is not easy because of the war between his former business partners and his heirs, but someday, someday, I hope to see his work get half the attention that grifter Thomas Kinkade has.
there's been a push in recent years to make everything ugly and sterile, and I believe it's on purpose. It's to demoralize people.
