Thomas Kinkade, one of nation's most popular painters, dies in Los Gatos

[dmallind]

142. Basically the angst falls like this

Subset a) Artsy types and wannabes who either genuinely or affectedly consider schmaltzy conformity in representational art to be beneath their sophisticated sensibilities no matter how competent the drawing skills.

Subset b) Elitists who resent populatity in any form. Budweiser must be a shit beer, McDonalds must be a shit burger, Celine Dion must be a shit singer, and of course Kinkade must be a shit artist. Only some obscure unheard of beer, burger, singer or artist is valid - until they too become popular

Subset c) Non-compartmentalizers who cannot enjoy the work of any person or organization that does not match their political ideals. Kinkade must be a bad artist because he is a right wing fundy who acted boorishly - just like Chuck Norris must be a terrible actor or karateka because he is too, and so on.

Subset d) Those who object to his production and business practices

To me they are in decreasing order of merit, assuming held honestly without pose or false-fronting.

I'm no art guru. I prefer representational conformity. But even I don't like it with syrupy glurgy effects and would never give his stuff in any form houseroom. But he could draw and paint with undeniable skill beyond the vast majority of humanity.

Budweiser is a shit beer, as are McDonalds shit burgers. Both are cheap, consistent and ubiquitous though. Celine Dion is a capable singer with terrible songs. Kinkade is a capable artist with terrible art. But lack of popularity does not equate to worth nor vice versa. Caruso was the first big recording star. Ellison Van Hoose wasn't. There is a reason for that. People who resent not being in on the "cool new secret" and who think any performer with an audience in triple digits has "sold out" and is now worthless need to grow up.

Wagner's reputation is exaggerated, but he was undeniably a misanthropic anti-semite. Beethoven was a tempestuously moody and violent serial adulterer (his reputation is not exaggerated - the opposite if anything). Milton was a despotic putritan who beat his children if they could not recite perfect Hebrew. All were also towering geniuses. Not even his greatest fans are likely to suggest Kinkade was one, but his skill does not change with his politics or amiability, and he's entitled to be judged on the skill - that's what he sold.

Anybody who did not know that a "high quality print on canvas" was not an original work is a blithering idiot. Anybody who thought they could buy an original work by a massively popular artist for a few hundred or even few thousand is worse. You could even flat out offer me an original Titian for $20000 right now and I'd laugh at you no matter how much authentication you offered. Emptors should damn well do more caveating - if these works were sold as too good to be true then it took a fool to buy.