Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade is an astoundingly wealthy man, probably the wealthiest artist in America. After having seen a film of his life story, "An American Artist," I think I have some idea why.

For one thing, Kinkade and his art empire works against certain perceptions of the High Art world. And while many of those perceptions may be inaccurate, they hold great cultural sway. For example, the belief that the art world is angst-ridden, arrogant, not merely secular but atheistic, and intellectual is widespread. Now, this all has a kernel of fact, but it is little more than a caricature, a straw man for Kinkade and the other superstars of Low Art publishing to knock down.

When I say that Kinkade works against these perceptions, I mean that he does this indirectly through his work but also directly through his propaganda. In his work, he accentuates placidity, nostalgia, tradition, and smoothness. His artworks work hard to deny any real conflict- even in the case of his Conquering the Storms print, supposedly threatening waves do not so much as dim his trademark orange lamplights, nor do the waves visually betray any malignancy or threat. His artworks are anesthetic moreso than out-and-out kitsch.

In his propaganda, Kinkade offers us his "world of beauty, peace and hope." In his film as well as his website, he refers frequently to his Christian faith (going so far as to describe himself as an instrument of God), and family values. He is given to using the political buzzwords of the religious right, even indirectly referencing Clinton's infidelity in his film. In general, his artwork, by virtue both of its content and the way that it's sold, appeals to cultural conservatives and reactionaries, a group that is generally poorly served by the art market.

It also doesn't hurt that the man illustrates Bibles.