Thomas Kinkade, RIP

[GA Russell]

Thomas Kinkade has died suddenly. His work never appealled to me, but he made a lot of people happy with it, so for that he should be commended.

I noticed this in his obituary: " He read classic books but also enjoyed shooting and blowing up things on his ranch."

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-living/ci_20347297/thomas-kinkade-one-americas-most-popular-painters-dies

[Dave James]

Hate to see anyone check out that early, but I haven't a clue as to what anyone saw in his work. At best, it was no more than kitsch. RIP anyhow.

[JSngry]

I never got him either, but I do think it's cool that he like to blow up stuff on his ranch.

I wonder if he like weenie-water soup too?

[Noj]

He was the Kenny G of painting, in all the sickly sweet sense of the comparison. There was an audience and he catered to them.

[Dave James]

He was the Kenny G of painting...

Perfect.

[BFrank]

Had some fraud-based problems in recent years with lawsuits from Kinkaide gallery owners.

[ValerieB]

i always think of jigsaw puzzles when i see his paintings.

[Dave James]

i always think of jigsaw puzzles when i see his paintings.

Hopefully, ones that aren't put together yet.

[ValerieB]

i always think of jigsaw puzzles when i see his paintings.

Hopefully, ones that aren't put together yet.

the opposite, actually. they look just like some of the adult puzzles i put together when i was a kid.

[robertoart]

Just saw his works via the Giuseppi Logan New York Times article. Truly awful imagery. The kind of stuff many contemporary painters pastiche with a twist.

[Rooster_Ties]

i always think of jigsaw puzzles when i see his paintings.

And most of them were jigsaw puzzles, in a way.

As I understand it, the vast majority of what Kinkade's galleries sold were reproductions (of his own original paintings) that were hand-painted by trained artist 'replicators' (not sure what else to call them) -- and then he would personally sign each one, and literally add a couple brush-strokes of his own to the reproduction.

Nothing seemed weirder to me (and I mean it, downright creepy) than knowing dozens of 'trained replicator' artists spent years turning out hundreds (or thousands?) of copies of his paintings every year.

My wife's mother has at least a couple of his paintings hanging in their house, and my wife and I lived in fear every year at Christmas that she might have decided to give us one as a gift, which we would then have to hang in our home (gack). Fortunately that never happened, but there was a couple years there 10 years back when we were seriously concerned.

EDIT: My wife just reminded me that her mom had a specific painting all picked out and ready to purchase, and that she (my wife) had to politely but very firmly telegraph that we really were just fine in the art department -- and that we really (really) didn't need any paintings, thank you much. (I'd forgotten it had ever gotten so close to an actual gift, but I guess it did.)

Edited April 9, 2012 by Rooster_Ties

[robertoart]

i always think of jigsaw puzzles when i see his paintings.

And most of them were jigsaw puzzles, in a way.

As I understand it, the vast majority of what Kinkade's galleries sold were reproductions (of his own original paintings) that were hand-painted by trained artist 'replicators' (not sure what else to call them) -- and then he would personally sign each one, and literally add a couple brush-strokes of his own to the reproduction.

Nothing seemed weirder to me (and I mean it, downright creepy) than knowing dozens of 'trained replicator' artists spent years turning out hundreds (or thousands?) of copies of his paintings every year.

My wife's mother has at least a couple of his paintings hanging in their house, and my wife and I lived in fear every year at Christmas that she might have decided to give us one as a gift, which we would then have to hang in our home (gack). Fortunately that never happened, but there was a couple years there 10 years back when we were seriously concerned.

EDIT: My wife just reminded me that her mom had a specific painting all picked out and ready to purchase, and that she (my wife) had to politely but very firmly telegraph that we really were just fine in the art department -- and that we really (really) didn't need any paintings, thank you much. (I'd forgotten it had ever gotten so close to an actual gift, but I guess it did.)

No so weird at all really. Many artists who's work has such a demand have studio assistants who do most of the hands on work. From the most sophisticated artists, to the most banal and corny.

Warhol was the master of this par excellence.

[gvopedz]

[rostasi]

It's becoming more common to see assistants doing the actual work dictated by the artist.

The latest newsworthy uprising over this trend comes between Damien Hirst and David Hockney.

Hirst's assistants have painted his new series of "spot" paintings while Hockney has been clearly

miffed by this and has made a point in interviews that he makes all of his art himself.

®ø∂

---

Now playing: Tomorrow - 10,000 Words in a Cardboard Box

[Hardbopjazz]

I noticed this in his obituary: " He read classic books but also enjoyed shooting and blowing up things on his ranch."

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-living/ci_20347297/thomas-kinkade-one-americas-most-popular-painters-dies

If you saw his paintings, you can understand why he liked blowing things up on his ranch. A Yin and Yang find of balance.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Hardbopjazz

[robertoart]

When Leonardo da Vinci was a teenager, wasn’t he an assistant to Verrocchio?

[ejp626]

Just what it says on the tin -- Thomas Kinkade and Cthulhu.

[RDK]

Just what it says on the tin -- Thomas Kinkade and Cthulhu.