Pop Art

I first read about Thomas Kinkade in some American magazine. I think it was 1998. Was fascinated by the samples of his work they featured on the article because never before had I seen light so perfectly infused into a painting. From a distance some of them could be mistaken for photographs.

A year later someone randomly sent me a holiday card with the painting below and the love affair continued.

Over the years I read about how this man who called himslef the ‘Painter of Light’ was criticized for commercializing his art too much. Which is probably true considering how an estimated 1 in 20 American homes own a Thomas Kinkade painting, not to mention other types of merchandise and the movie.

I wonder why thats such a bad thing though. Some people choose to stash away their art in a stuffy gallery, some are  not even discovered while alive. This guy chooses to make a good buck out of it. So what?

As mercenary as it may be, it also allows more people to experience the beauty of his work.

I dont know the first thing about art really and neither do I draw any religious inferences from them, but these paintings to me are serenely beautiful. And while I enjoy the sight of them, it really doesnt matter to me if the same picture has already been reproduced on a million coffee mugs and greeting cards.

After all, chocolate box art is still art isnt it?

 

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6 thoughts on “Pop Art”

  1. Kenneth Clark said that landscape is turned to art by light. If one thinks about that statement hard enough one realises its essential truth; something that you have already discovered.

    The Master of Light was Turner. There is a little of Turner in the two middle pictures, but I would prefer the Master.

    I tend to like some of his early work to some of the later, almost impressionistic pictures, but they are all wonderful.

    An early example

    http://www.artinfo.com/news/enlarged_image/32332/158875/

    See any resemblance here?

    http://www.j-m-w-turner.co.uk/turner-carthage.htm

    Explore more of Turner here:

    http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/joseph-mallord-william-turner

    Constable is also very good, as is Claude (who inspired Turner). Some of the Venetians have done some beautiful townscapes.

    There is a modern fellow (I don’t care for much modern art) called Jeremy Barlow, whose pictures I rather liked.

    http://www.redraggallery.co.uk/artist-Jeremy-Barlow.asp

    I saw some used in a calendar, of all things.

    Apologies for blathering on, I find it a bit hard to stop talking…..but I think you know that already?

    🙂

    Reply

  3. wow. thanks for the leads 🙂 thouroughly enjoyed the browse. not a fan of modern art myself, but kinkade is an exception. love the realistic feel he gives.
    and yeah jeremy barlow is good.

    Reply

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