67
'Banal and hollow': Why the quaint paintings of Thomas Kinkade divided the US (www.bbc.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/mildlyinteresting@lemmy.world
4 comments fedilink hide all child comments

all 4 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 18 points 1 year ago (1 child)

The Behind The Bastards episodes on him were interesting. He might not have invented the right-wing culture-war affinity-fraud grift, but he was one of the pioneers.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    I mean, nice work if you can get it. I can't really blame a guy for waving a middling bit of oil canvas Americana and saying "You'd buy this painting if you loved America" when its been such a cash cow. If Kinkaid hadn't been pushing this slop, someone else would have.

    But it does highlight the appeal of "Good Enough" AI art to these people. They want their graven images so badly and now we have a big machine that pumps them out on demand ad infinitum. Joseph Smith couldn't have asked for a more magical device.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
    • [–] 11 points 1 year ago

    There used to be a Kincaid gallery in Savannah and perusing the paintings there was one of my favorite things to do in that town.

    Each painting had a dimmer knob nearby that you could use to see how the painting would change from being in bright light and low light. Really delightful to look at (even if it wasn’t ever avant garde)

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •
    [–] 7 points 1 year ago*

    You've got to be a real dick to dislike his work, and look at this!

    [NO DICKS]

    It says it on the sign.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •