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KINKADE
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001
From: S.B. Kidwell Tulsa, OK
I am in complete
agreement with the assessment that the only way that the kingdom
of the Lord can expand and be furthered is by Christians immersing
themselves in the world: by living out our daily lives, loving
our neighbors with the love of Christ, striving to be as Christ-like
as humanly possible. I also positively adore Kincade's paintings.
I think they are beautiful, brilliant depictions of scenery displaying
genious use of color and light. Considering the houses and cottages
to be isolated from the rest of the world is limiting the possible
interpretations of the works. Perhaps the cottages don't represent
our isolated souls at all. Perhaps the cottages represent the
beauty of our souls to Christ, and the safety and security we
can find in Him regardless of what our true surroundings might
be. Perhaps we are getting just a little over-exhuberant in trying
to discern exactly how the paintings can be interpreted. Instead,
let's celebrate the talent of the artist bestowed by the Creator.
Lets pray that people's eyes will be blessed by the beauty of
the works and their hearts will be touched by the artist's creation,
because just maybe as a result they will research into the life
of Thomas Kincade, and his witness will serve the Lord's purpose.
I certainly don't feel that we need to be criticizing his work.
Are we just looking for ways to discourage our brothers in Christ?
This is a public figure who is proclaiming his faith in Jesus
Christ. We should be applauding his efforts to witness through
his talent, not criticizing him because one possible interpretation
of his work might be isolation and that is something some Christians
might need to practice less. Let's keep our negative comments
to ourselves and go do something positive for the Kingdom!
S.B. Kidwell Tulsa, OK
KINKADE'S
FUNDAMENTAL DISCONNECTION FROM REALITY
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001
From: Lizzie
I came across
your (very intriguing) website while doing a web search on Thomas
Kinkade -- I had just finished reading an article about him in
this week's New Yorker (a must read for any TK skeptics), and
found myself at once fascinated and repelled by his art work.
My interest piqued, I typed in his name, got something like 29,000
hits. To refine the search, I tried the word "scam", and your
site (amongst a very few others) popped up.( If there is any good
to be got from my encounter with this mediocre artist, it is in
finding the hollywoodjesus site!)
I had never
heard of TK, but his art seemed vaguely familiar, perhaps something
I had seen in passing in some mall somewhere. Frankly, his is
the sort of art I almost automatically dismiss as "Kitsch" on
par with velvet Elvis painting. I was shocked to discover how
popular, and profitable, his art is and that his company is publicly
traded on the NYSE. Clearly, he is a kind of phenomenon and I
had dismissed him too lightly.
I don't really
know where to begin the list of the many things I find so disturbing
about the TK phenomenon, but since you and contributors to your
site have covered much that was on my list I will restrict myself
to his basic lack of artistic technique (an important point, as
many people preface their criticism by acknowledging of his "impressive
talent" and "genius").
At first glance,
his subjects look well drawn, realistically rendered, and believably
three-dimensional--what one would expect from any art school graduate.
However, where I had expected to find a master craftsman very
carefully painting in the sentimental tradition, I found misaligned
perspectives, awkward proportions, inexplicable light sources,
and strange juxtapositions of architecture and landscape. His
scenery has no relationship to geographical reality: it is a world
where shadows fall haphazardly; small cottages dwarf clock towers;
large gazebos are perched awkwardly on the edge of cliffs, in
front of disproportionatly small light houses; horses the size
of dogs graze near trees just barely larger than flower bushes;
and babbling brooks tumble down steep hills without suffering
the effects of gravity. His churches are buried in deep forests
and hover at the edge of swamps, without paths, their front doors,
blocked by streams that in any remotely real geography would immediately
flood the buildings, and impossibly large manors are wedged, cottage-like,
into tiny lots crowded with strangely tall flowers (see the "Cotswold"
cottage/manor looming over a tiny bridge and a shoe-sized skiff
in a painting from the Lamplight Lane series).
The lack of
human life (commented on in your article) further contributes
to the strangeness of his world. I find it especially telling
in the painting of the nature churches, where there seems to be
no way for any human to access the church itself. One is cut off
by dense forests, giant mountains, and rivers. Where people are
depicted they are awkward, stick-like and blurred: unspecific,
faceless figures, barely three dimensional and lacking the color,
depth, weight, movement, that he gives inanimate objects. His
human figures look especially doll-like and vague when placed
near the carefully rendered bricks and shining windows of his
buildings (as in Town Square and his Christmas paintings). In
"It doesn't get any better than this" the fisherman is sort of
tacked onto an improbably angled log. There is no sense of tension
in the fisherman's body--how he would be balancing on a round
slanted object. His legs, which are straight in the painting,
would be bent at different angles and so would not appear to be
the same length. Professional artists spend years trying to capture
the human body in just such motion, and there are many ways of
rendering depth that just aren't at work here--there is no sense
that this guy is a representation of anyone real. Also the fisherman's'
shadow is cast in a different direction than the shadows of the
trees, a basic sloppy mistake (on a sunny day everything would
project a shadow from the same source and would project in the
same direction at the same angle).
In almost
all of his paintings the parts do not fit together naturally,
as they would in three dimensional reality, but seem to come from
different places and to be forced together in the scene: buildings
stand firmly on river beds, stable light sources shift all over,
otherwise immutable horizon lines disappear, historical eras collide
and compete, dark colors appear where bright ones would naturally
and vice versa. This general mismatching is patched over with
the stippled points of light and deliberately brilliant colors
to create an artificially uniform effect.
So, what is
the point of all this technical nit-picking? I think TK's obliviousness
to the basic physics governing the material world is related to
your overarching thesis that his paintings advocate a retreat
from reality. Just as he depicts a lack of involvement with the
world, his painting evidences a profound disregard for world on
the most fundamental level (how the sun shines, how trees grow,
how the human body moves). His preference is always for the kind
of magical effect one associates with depictions of misty fairy-lands.
Lizzie
"KINKADE"
PROBLEM
Subject: "kinkade" problem Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2001
From: Nathan Landis
Dear Mr. Bruce,
It saddens me that there are so many Christians out there today
that think movies have to always have conflict, or totally be
worldly to be "christ" like. I read an article in a denominational
magazine a few months ago that listed the 5 best secular films
that "displayed" christian values. On that list was "American
Beauty."
Let me tell
you, I watched it and found the "christian values" in it, but
to find it I had to sit through so many scenes of just distasteful
trash. Both adults slept with partners other then their spouse,
the father used drugs, and on top of that he almost slept with
his daughter's best friend.
I agree with
you that christian movies right now are not dealing with alot
of reality, but I caution people like yourself into trying to
find "christian" values in alot of Hollywood films. After reading
many of your reviews
I feel that
your trying to add spirituality to films that just don't have
it. Just because a film "teaches" us about the nature of sin,
doesn't mean that it is worth watching, much less paying to see.
I doubt Jesus would sit down to be entertained by "snatch" or
other such movies, just because they teach realities that are
written in the Bible. I feel that this "christianizing" of hollywood
films is really a wolf in sheep's clothing. I wish critics like
yourself would write reviews about hollywood films that WOULD
be worth watching.
I came along
a great movie a month ago that was one of those odd gems hollywood
puts out now and then. You may have heard of it. It was called
"The Body" and it starred Antonio Banderes. This movie had conflict,
it was very interesting, and it had a great underlining message.
This is the
kind of films I think you should be writing about, and the Christian
film industry should be making. It's not some end times thriller,
or a "preachy" movie, but it was interesting and was definitely
worth watching.
Sincerely, Nathan Landis
LET'S
GET REAL...
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001
From: Melinda Paschall
As for me,
I love his work and I don't see it as a "Kinkade" Problem at all.
I have raised
my children teaching them the word of God. I've taught them all
about the ways of the world, never holding back. We are in the
world, but we are not, of the world. Yes, we do need to come down
from the mountain top and into the valleys. That's the only way
for us to learn , grow and to teach others to be strong. God never
told or taught us to be ignorant.
My home is
my place of refuge from the world. I believe that Thomas Kinkade's
work shows us that although we live in a world that is full of
evil, we can live in a peaceful place even if it is only in our
homes. I watch all types of movies, I read all types of books,
I watch the news everyday. I want to know what's going on in the
world. That way I know how to pray and what to pray for.
So, am I missing
something,,, has Mr. Kinkade attacked you in some way or another.
Sounds to me, you just want to pick on someone. Maybe you are
jealous of his talent, something that is definitely of GOD. So
why don't you ease up. Write about something that's going on in
the world that really needs to be discussed, a "real" problem.
We have too many other things going on in the world today that
could use our attention and definitely could use our prayer. Please
think about this. Give it some thought. Read the word of God.
I believe you are off the real issues at hand. Life is to short
to be concerned about things such as this.
Sincerely, Melinda Paschall
WOW!
Subject: Newsletter_27-Disengagement
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001
From: Mollie
Dear Bruce,
Hi. Christina here in California. I had never realized the entire
Thomas Kinkade debate before, and I'm glad I finally got around
to reading this very informative news letter. I'm so grateful
for your ministry. It's made me realize how the world does stereotype
so many things (like films) and blames them for the state (I guess)
that this world is in, and they say "What happened?" Then they
seem to make various statements about different times in history
and wish that we could return back to the so-called principles
of the Victorian era or the 1950's (June and Ward). Looking back
on what I've learned in school, history seems to go something
like this:
The twenties
"roared"
The thirties
were dreamy (they gave us "The Wizard of OZ and "Gone With The
Wind).
The forties
were promise... totally polluted by the ugliness of a war that
just happened to be much bigger and more unexpected than most.
The fifties
were light out of darkness: Tremendous economic prosperity; Laurel
and Hardy and Leave it to Beaver (While little Dennis the Menace
was verbally and physically abused on a daily basis; and Judy
Garland's brain cells habitually destroyed with drugs..... and
all in the name of keeping them going.)
The 60's and
70's were pure evil: After all, they brought us Hendrix, Joplin,
Nixon, Clapton, four lads named John Paul, George and Ringo, "The
French Connection," "China Town," "The Godfather"; plus the Hippie
movement, Free love, "Sex, drugs & Rock n' Roll, and a huge war
that nobody seemed to know why we were fighting to boot.
The eighties...Ahhhhh-
we reap what we sew right? Now we have generation X; the children
of all the hippies, huge economic decline, increased divorces--
and whose fault is it? sadly, according to a lot of Christians,
Michael Jackson's, Madonna's and people like Steven Spielberg.
The Nineties:
The aftermath of the "Anti-Drug campaign" from the eighties that
may have caused more problems than it solved. Prisons are most
certainly over crowded, and even less money can go towards education.
And a new enemy has come full force: Rap. Now we can blame Ice
T, and Vanilla Ice. Local news stations give reviews of the movie
"Colors" and says that it promotes and could even cause gang violence.
Churches everywhere are "Boycotting Disney" because of Miramax
films, and the "Anti-family programing aired on ABC."
The new millennium:
Who knows? Where do we draw the line?
Sad, isn't
it? I pray that this isn't how most Christians view the world,
but I'm afraid the reverse may be true. It never even occurred
to me that Thomas Kinkade's paintings further help to promote
an isolationist's viewpoint that many Christians (perhaps Kinkade
himself) don't even realize exists.
Thank you
for sharing your views with us!
YOU
HIT THE BULLSEYE
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001
From: "B. Rouse"
I too am not
an admirer of Thomas Kinkade artwork. I do not see the artistic
merit in his work. Too many pieces of his art look like either
gingerbread houses my grandmother made at Christmastime or they
looked like he is viweing the scenery from a window in a log cabin
affected by the fog and the condensation caused when warm air
on the inside meets cold air on the outside of the window pane.
It's too blurry to show the details and the perspective art is
supposed to be about. The more I see in Mr. Kinkade's art, the
more paradigmed I think he is to where He may not be able to paint
something different.
I too agree
with your post and some of the other posts when this kind of art
tries to portray Christianiy as backwards and yearning for a time
that never existed. Christianity was never designed to be a backwards
and backpeddling religion. Christianity was designed to be both
progressive and forward moving in it's true practice. Between
the Victorian era, the Leave it To Beaver era, and now in Christianity,
the Focus on The Family era (Republican parents of nine homeschoolkids
driving the Honda Accord and the Woodgrained minivan / Soccer
Mom SUV who will one day be Republicans and learn how to evangelize
through the legislation of righetousness instead of doing their
Great Commission Mandate of evangelizing the people), this delusion
of grandeur leaves a noxious stench in the nostrals of those desiring
to know more about Christianity when they search for real solutions
to real life's real problems. Many Christians are so busy doing
"home" everything (homeschool, homework, homec hurch, homestudy,
etc) that they can not relate. They are too busy worrying over
being seperate from the world that seperation means segregation
to "avoid the appearance of evil".
When you stated:
Listen to Christian radio Don't help, associate or talk to
people different than you (your neighbor). Attend an exclusive
Family Worship Center (carbon copy look a likes) Never go to an
R-rated movie Do not listen to pop music -especially with language
Listen only to so-called Contemporary Christian music Read only
Christian books Put isolation art on your walls Stay pure from
the world. Clean fingernails. Teach kids to avoid the world -never
discuss it. When you die and face God... God will be pleased.
Right? Hmm.
You hit the bullseye and what did many of these people get by
staying home, a cheap substitute of the Christian walk and an
inability to cope with real life. Look at Christian TV and you
will see that they failed miserably in their coverage of the WTC
/ Pentagon bombings by choosing to show us more irrelevant programming
begging for dollars, trying to claim judgement of gloom and doom,
and use the tragedy to scare people to see Megiddo next week.
B. Rouse
Available Light http://members.christweb.com/availablelight
reachthewwworld@lycos.com
"The road unwinds before me. What was there is now gone. Now the
same road winds back up behind me. I keep driving on."
STATS
Subject: Kincade Newsletter27
Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001
From: Brad
David: I am
brand new to your website, but found this article to be excellent.
My minister had made a sermon in a similar vein many months ago.
I was curious as to where your information comes. I don't like
to quote statistics & numbers without a way to back them up. If
you would send me a brief bibliography for this article it would
be greatly appreciated! Great website!! -- I will continue to
explore it.
-Brad
Response:
All of the statistics in this newsletter come from a wonderful
book by Stephanie Coontz, entitled The
Way We Never Were, American Families and the Nostalgia Trap.
COMMENT
ON THOMAS KINKADE
Subject: Comments on Thomas Kinkade Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001
From: Rich
I believe
this is your problem not Thomas Kinkades. I have met many people
whose lives have been touched in a wonderful way by his art that
brings God's glory to many homes in America. God did not create
the violence in our culture but told us to look at His creation
that brings glory to Him.
In
Christ, Rich
Response:
Isolation brings glory to God?
KINKADE
IN LIGHT OF 9-11-01
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001
From: Jeff
Dear Bruce--
I've felt very strongly about your Kinkade newsletter for over
a month now, and I feel that I must, now, finally respond. When
my wife first mentioned that you had highlighted his (Kinkade's)
art in your newsletter, I thought it was going to be an issue
of personal taste, which has an impact on the way all art is viewed.
Personally,
his stuff has never interested me, because it never challenged
me and the beauty of them was tied to much that was too insipid.
The bigger issue of course is what sort of lifestyle does it idealize/idolize.
In the light of the terrorist attack on NYC (40 miles from here)
I believe that his pictures now would be completely incongruent
to virtually any city resident. Perhaps only to draw attention
to the loss of a loved one.
This being
said though, I would like independent confirmation of all the
numbers you quoted from the book "The Way We Never Were--". Because
with the authors agenda there is a strong challenge to not just
use the figures that seem to bolster her point. (You
need to read the book. Check out the foot notes. She is very good
and careful. -David) There is reason for me to believe
that the numbers are indeed right though. For this I recommend
an excellent video series by the late Francis Schaefer, "How Then
Should We Live..?". Sin has always been with us, consider the
very first family... The paradigm shift is in our American society
of casual acceptance of sin/immorality. This may not always bear
out in numbers of increased crime etc. but it does deaden a national
soul (sin is areproache to a nation...).
Yes, we can,
lift the family to the point of idolatry, that is always a danger
with the smaller 't' truths of the bible, nevertheless the family
is the basic means by which God has laid out with which we build
villages, churches, and nations. It would be a stretch for me
to accept stats that don't clearly agree with this truth (see
socialism, Khemar Rouge etc.) , and if, the Way, the Truth and
the Life is in control the program works...
So as far
as I am concerned you are right on the $, with the exception of
the above mentioned caveats. But about Betty Paige... that'll
have to come later.
With our prayers & agape In Jesus strong Name
Jeff
AGREE
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001
From: Penny
I have to
agree. Penny
DO
MUCH DRIVAL
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001
From: TERRY AIMA
I wonder how
you sleep at night reading so much drivel into the simplest of
things. Simply enjoy what you see. Analyzing everything will only
make you crazy and you will become one of those Christians who,
in their minds, go where no man has gone before... it's a scary
and lonely place.
Terry Aima
AN
ARTIST'S VIEW OF KINKADE
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001
From:
Greg K
Hi David,
I can understand your critique of Kinkade' s paintings. Being
a critic you hash out what some people don't see. The people I
know who have bought a Kinkade painting don't see beyond a pretty
picture, they simply like the image or bought it to support a
fellow Christian. The people buying Kinkade paintings aren't buying
Blue Chip pieces. They aren't Savy art collectors, they are a
totally different demographic. Which is fine. Every one has different
tastes and motivations. As an Artist myself I am real critical
of most art. I didn't plan on defending Kinkade, but I don't see
his paintings as a big deal. It is his personal expression. If
he is a bit wacky in his interpretation of the world he wouldn't
be the first artist to express it.
Most of what
passes and sells as ART in this day is pretty scary. I will use
myself as an example: Before I was born again, I made numerous
blasphemous sculptures to fulfill my MFA thesis criteria. I was
bent on offending all people of faith, mostly Christians. I was
living in the Bible Belt and thought I had something to say. It
didn't matter how offensive I tried to make my sculptures because
there was always some Christian who saw beauty in the piece, which
they backed up with a scripture verse. I thought they must be
crazy to get a positive interpretation out of it. Maybe it was
an attempt to evangelize me. ( I never found out, because I was
to chicken to reply back) But I do think God was working on me!
Everyone sees something they can relate to in a piece no matter
what the artist's intension was in making it. I guess that is
the beauty of it from a viewer stand point. I guess what I am
saying is that it wouldn't make a difference if his paintings
were the perfect interpretation of Christian life, someone would
have something to say about it.
I like the
fact that Mr. Kinkade donates some of the $ he makes to charity.
I received a print for sponsoring a World Vision child. I would
not buy one myself, Christian or not a poster printed on canvas
at those prices is a bit wacky. You also have to remember how
self absorbed Artist are, the fact that he makes money as an Artist
and tithes is rare. If an Artist can live on his art and use that
talent to glorify God is alright in my book. That is some thing
I am trying to figure out how to do myself. Personally I don't
think his work registers on the radar screen in the Fine Art world.
I am sure his work touches those who buy it, So who cares if the
images are void of people, Art History is rich with famous Artists
that painted the same style. After all if Kinkade didn't profess
to be a Christian neither of us would be writing about him. I
thank you for your thoughts and for web site,
Greg K.
Response:
Thank you for your insights. -David
LITTLE
HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE SYNDROME
Subject: Newsletter_27-Kinkade
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001
From: Beerta
Thank you
for the article on Thomas Kincade. Reading it reminded me of a
question I posed to a friend just recently: Does God love 'Little-House-on-the-Prairie'
Christians more than 'Punk-Rock' Christians? From many fellow
Christians I get the feeling that He must, although in my mind
I know it is not so. I do not doubt that Thomas Kincade is a wonderful
Christian man, and that people who love his art are also, but
I do not believe that it is an art form which is closer to God's
heart or more edifying for Christians. Thanks again for an awesome
article.
Beerta
Response:
You are welcome. -David
INNOCUOUS
ART
Subject: Hollywood Jesus Newsletter
#27
Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001
From: Ron Robinson
Dear David:
What a well-researched, thoughtful and insightful observation
you have made on the state of art from the hands of many evangelical
Christians. Certainly many good, moral, and faithful people produce
innocuous art that offers little commentary, less insight, and
no prophetic vision for our postmodern world. Someone once told
me that they "had rather be told an R-rated truth than a G-rated
lie." Your commentary is welcome word to us as struggling Christians
in the current culture.
Ron Robinson
2
THINGS
Subject: Newsletter
27
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001
From: "owen"
1.
The site is a blessing. Be encouraged. Thank God for the fools
who speak so ignorantly and arrogantly toward you about the work
you are doing. What Jesus do you serve? Ha ha ha ha. Your reply
was very gracious. (Thank you)
2.
Can you give me the name of the software or whatever that you
are using to manage your mailing list? Thanks. ok (It's
handled by Gospelcom.net)
3.
It's your fault I stayed up to 1am..reading the site.
o
w e n
~nothing without Christ~ windsor ontario canada
KINKADE
ART
Subject: Newsletter_27
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001
From: Bryan E. Walker
Dear Hollywood
Jesus:
Thank you for your bold and gracious critique of Thomas Kinkade's
art. My wife has worked in Christian retail for years and I have
pastored a Baptist church for years, but I have never been much
of a fan of Kinkade. I couldn't put my finger on it... I found
his art "nice" but not satisfying. Although I enjoyed the Christianity
Today article on Kinkade about a year or so ago I still could
not find much in his art for me. You have put your finger on the
issue!
I have enjoyed
your movie reviews for the past 2 months since a friend recommended
your web site. We have a couple of movie groups here, one at the
church and one where I work ( I am a bi-vocational pastor of a
small church and need to work a second job). Your review of AI
was especially helpful! Would you consider doing a review of Babette's
Feast?
Thank you
for your ministry!
Bryan E. Walker,
Pastor Burton Hill Baptist Church Fort Worth, TX
Comments
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