Discussion Topic 1: Realism vs. Kinkade
So here is the first official discussion topic launched on the CAB (my fond acronym for the Christian Arts Blog). Ideally, anyone with hankering will post their thoughts on the topic at hand, thereby focusing our efforts, thoughts, and discussions to one point, allowing us, laser-like, to dissect it and probe its secrets.
So to start off, first pop over to the Gallery at the Evangelical Outpost by clicking here, then scroll down past the article on Picasso (interesting as it is) and peruse the essay titled "Kinkade's Cottage Fantasy: The Despiriting Art of Thomas Kinkade."
Our first topic is reaction to this article. Do you agree with Joe Carter's assessment? Is it valid? Is it fair? Is it important? How should we react to work in the vein of Kinkade?
I have some thoughts, but I'll have to mull them over a bit, and I don't want to unduly influence responses. So jump in, all, and let's have a bit of a palaver over American Protestantism's most famous poster-making boy. And if you aren't an official contributor, feel free to contact me or Chris with your prospective post and we'll see if we can't bring you onboard.
So to start off, first pop over to the Gallery at the Evangelical Outpost by clicking here, then scroll down past the article on Picasso (interesting as it is) and peruse the essay titled "Kinkade's Cottage Fantasy: The Despiriting Art of Thomas Kinkade."
Our first topic is reaction to this article. Do you agree with Joe Carter's assessment? Is it valid? Is it fair? Is it important? How should we react to work in the vein of Kinkade?
I have some thoughts, but I'll have to mull them over a bit, and I don't want to unduly influence responses. So jump in, all, and let's have a bit of a palaver over American Protestantism's most famous poster-making boy. And if you aren't an official contributor, feel free to contact me or Chris with your prospective post and we'll see if we can't bring you onboard.
posted by | 3:54 PM
1 Comments:
I think that, just as in any other medium, there is entertainment ("pop art"), and there is exploration ("Real Art"). Kinkade definitely falls into the former category; his paintings are intended to be fantasy fodder in the same way that those innumerable Forgotten Realms novels are. They aren't meant to express anything deep or provocative, but to provide comfort and escape. The average Christian bookstore shopper does not want to be provoked overmuch, at least not artistically ('spiritually' is a different question). If they're going to buy a piece of art, it's going to be something that will make their home more cozy or reassuring.
The caveat to this statement is that, as was shown, Kinkade is getting worse as an artist. I suspect that it's easier for him now, since his name is a household word in Christian publishing, and so in the tradition of George Lucas, he doesn't really have to work as hard any more. Like, say, Larry Elmore (the archetypical D&D painter), he doesn't need to evolve or improve his skills in order to make a profit. If his work looks exactly the same as it did ten years ago, well, that's what sells.
Having said all of this, I think that the article makes valid points from an artistic point of view. Kinkade's artwork doesn't belong in a museum. And as much as I enjoy fantasy (and, let's face it, is largely what I myself want to create), the statement that his work does make is troubling precisely because isolation, escapism, and comfort is not what Jesus's call was for. Thomas Blackshear II made some good artwork ('Forgiven' is probably the most famous of his - the guy holding the hammer and spikes, about to collapse but for Jesus holding him up from behind), but I haven't seen anything new from him since I saw 'Forgiven' in a Berean store ten years ago.
The most provocative painting I've seen from the Christian quarter is one that was based on a dream described by the founder of the Salvation Army - of storm-tossed waves threatening to devour the people lost within it, while a solid dock stands in the midst of the maelstrom, filled with Christians going about their business, mostly indifferent to the plight of the drowning - but it wasn't a very good painting, from a compositional point of view.
In reference to the final quotation made in the article, it's entirely possible that there are remarkable Christian artists emerging in the art world. Not all of them are outspoken or immediately obvious about their faith. I suspect the problem is that this critic is looking in the Christian publishing market for them, which, frankly, is about the last place I would ever look for provocative, skillfully-created artwork.
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