Thomas Kinkade's death

[sdotkling]

Maybe he drank himself to death to forget that he had become "Thomas Kincade, Painter of Light."
Put yourself in his shoes for a second: You're a painter, maybe a pretty good one. You hit upon a style that people can't get enough of, it's like minting money. You're a clever fellow with finances, know some bankers who can line up capital, and you create a mammoth commercial empire selling sparkly junk as fast as you can crank it out. Now everyone knows you as that awful hack with Snow White landscapes in shopping malls. This wasn't quite the way you thought it would turn out. You really wanted to be on the wall next to Warhol or Jasper Johns. You used to be a pretty good painter, but everything's gone horribly, bizarrely wrong.

[zsas]

Good theory, but he started out doing background art in for animation films in the 80's...
Should he have wanted to have been a different type of painter he could have had a side gig, kinda like when musicians have a side band/solo outside their main gig

What little I know about Kinkade, he seems to have been happy to paint what he was good at (reguardless if any of us liked it or not - he created a niche/following)....

[sdotkling]

Oh well...sorry his tragedy couldn't have been more cinematic.

[Old-N-Feeble]

I believe Van Gogh and Picasso were ridiculed for much or all of their careers... as was Beethoven and... umm... Ansel Adams? Artists do find a niche which sells and makes them profit. I'm not "comparing" Kinkade's work with any of these masters. I'm just saying that the dead, who enjoyed great success, deserve a little respect from us UNSUCCESSFUL folk rather than our hateful/jealous commentary.

[blansky]

No they don't.

[Old-N-Feeble]

blansky... I always very much respect your comments. Not this time. Why speak so coldly and disrespectfully of the dead who did no real harm? Have you made millions from your artwork? Have you made millions happy with it?

[Old-N-Feeble]

Ya' know... T. Kinkade was like the "Dr. Seuss" of grown-up art. The greater populous loved him. It's too bad he didn't listen to the "common man" rather than us "snobs". If he did then he'd still be telling lovely visual bedtime stories to common folk and making them feel happy, safe and comfortable.

But no... we had a hand in him drinking himself to death with our cold and jealous comments.

Top that...

[M. Lointain]

Old-n-Feeble, if you think others are jealous just because they think his work is crap, how does that make you look defending him?

When his work hangs at MOMA or any other major museum, let us know. Until then, I still think it is schlock. Frankly, even if it hung at MOMA, I would still think it is schlock.

[Old-N-Feeble]

I was trying to make a point. Why disrespect a person after they're dead? He had unprecedented success. How else should we interpret such hatred and disrespect?

[blansky]

blansky... I always very much respect your comments. Not this time. Why speak so coldly and disrespectfully of the dead who did no real harm? Have you made millions from your artwork? Have you made millions happy with it?

Firstly, all I've said is that he turned out schlock for an unsophisticated market. Others may not have been so complimentary.

Have I made millions from my artwork? I've done pretty well.

Have I made millions happy? No, but probably a couple of thousand.

Do I think he's fair game? Yes. Due to the way he conducted his business.

When we insert ourselves into the public, then we are fair game for people's comments and opinions. And the act of dying doesn't make you sacrosanct.

As for hate or jealousy, I don't hate people because it takes emotions that I don't feel like wasting. Jealousy, nope. I don't want someone else's life's.