tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post5865633368754081266..comments2023-11-18T08:53:40.570-08:00Comments on Jed Alexander: Thomas Kinkade: a Reevaluation. Or: What is Kitsch and Why is it Bad Exactly?Jed Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833411175703626635noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-11046168544412130672015-08-02T01:01:40.927-07:002015-08-02T01:01:40.927-07:00As I child I would have loved his paintings. (I ne...As I child I would have loved his paintings. (I never saw them as a child and if 1 in 20 homes in the US have at least one of his paintings on display, why have I never seen a single one in any of the homes I've visited here?) His Crayola palette would have enthralled me as a child. As an adult I see them the same way – "Crayola". As a child I would have loved all the intricate detail in the stonework and the rocks along the river bank. As an adult, I prefer the impressionists who said a lot more than previous artists by saying much less. Yes indeed, I believe it IS a matter of maturity but that certainly doesn't mean that I think people who love him have anything to apologize for. Indeed, I love some kitsch precisely because it is so unabashedly kitschy. It is banale, excessive and over-indulgent and as a result, I can't help but be entertained by it. Having the right balance between good taste and vulgarity is not a bad thing.Scotttthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12521537960450677285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-24889086756526438112013-01-05T18:41:39.729-08:002013-01-05T18:41:39.729-08:00I don't have the patience for jigsaw puzzles. ...I don't have the patience for jigsaw puzzles. I'd rather just make a picture of my own. :)Jed Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06833411175703626635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-68820337435331053252013-01-05T16:07:46.711-08:002013-01-05T16:07:46.711-08:00True, very true.
You aught to try putting one of ...True, very true.<br /><br />You aught to try putting one of the 1000 - 10000 piece puzzles together. With the detail and colors he uses they will have you baffled for months while trying to figure them out. A real challenge! It's a shame the obits didn't do him justice.Mark Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02695399215822774358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-18511142712051893942013-01-04T19:45:29.583-08:002013-01-04T19:45:29.583-08:00Well, to each his own, said the old woman who kiss...Well, to each his own, said the old woman who kissed the cow, and I've definitely kissed my fair share. There's no shame in liking what you like.I did try to consider the art with a certain amount of objectivity, just as I did the man, whose motives for making the stuff I do believe were essentially sincere. I did admit that his work had a certain seductive appeal, however ambivalent I felt about it. I was more fair, I believe, than most of his obituaries. I think his work made a lot of people happy just like you, and I can't argue with that. I'm glad you like his work, and that it gives you pleasure.Jed Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06833411175703626635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-30254587139260830532013-01-04T18:55:28.234-08:002013-01-04T18:55:28.234-08:00Well, For what it's worth, regardless of why h...Well, For what it's worth, regardless of why he painted what he painted I still love his work. It is quite beautiful, and for a guy to admit such mushy stuff, it must really strike a chord in him(IE me). I buy his puzzles when ever I can afford to. I never really cared about any artist, just the art. Ars Gratia Artis.Mark Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02695399215822774358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-15471317921013621212012-04-19T09:32:29.387-07:002012-04-19T09:32:29.387-07:00Thanks Marsha!
I think I've heard that quote...Thanks Marsha! <br /><br />I think I've heard that quote from Bakshi before, and I think there's truth it, but I don't think it tells the whole story. Kinkade was quite young when he did set and background illustration for Hollywood, and didn't started selling the prints he's famous for until the 80s, after he became a born again Christian. I'm not a religious person, but this is the root of the "devine inspiration" he talks about, this assumption that what he does comes from God with a capital "G." I think he was sincere in his belief, because it justified everything he did. This makes me think that what he did wasn't entirely cynical. He was trying to make a buck, for sure, but I think he believed very much in his own work. That doesn't mean he was any less greedy, and it certainly doesn't make him any less egotistical, but it doesn't make him completely mercenary. <br /><br />What I mean by sincerity and what Kinkade might describe as sincerity are probably too different things. Kinkade has an objective he's trying to achieve with his paintings. He wants to ellicit a very specific response from his audience. Everything about the content of his work is dictated by the response he wants to elicit. This is very different than what I'm trying to do, but I did want to acknowledge that I've had to make compromises, and what those compromises represent to me.<br /><br />I think that no matter what kind of art you make, you're always thinking of audience. I discuss some of my ideas about audience more in depth, here, in relation to writing: http://jedalexander.blogspot.com/2012/04/writing-audience-is-everything.html<br /><br />But thanks for your faith and encouragement. It means a lot, Marsha!Jed Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06833411175703626635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-40713320448091729612012-04-19T09:05:05.180-07:002012-04-19T09:05:05.180-07:00I think that you are being true to yourself as an ...I think that you are being true to yourself as an artist. Artists have always had to think about their audience whether it is an art director, wealthy patron, or their internal manifestation of spirit. Those same artists also consider their own desires and aesthetic. The combination of these two forces create art. <br /><br />However, I am not so sure about Kincade. Yes he catered to his audience, and yes he did show some talent (depending on who you ask). I am just not sure how sincere his art is. Did he acctually like what he painted, or was he just chasing after the all mighty dollar? Ralph Bakshi, an underground animator and author of subversive films hired Kinkade to be a background artist on his film "Fire and Ice" when Kindade had no prior experiance.<br /><br />Bakshi on Kincade: "He's very, very talented, and he’s very, very much of a hustler. Those two things are in conflict. Is he talented? Oh yeah. Will he paint anything to make money? Oh yeah. Does he have any sort of moralistic view? No. He doesn't care about anything. He's as cheesy as they come." <br /><br />Kincade is a hot topic for artists because it seems like Kincade's only goal was to make money.Marshahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14247846061030398895noreply@blogger.com