{"id":251,"date":"2013-03-01T13:15:14","date_gmt":"2013-03-01T21:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/?p=251"},"modified":"2019-05-31T11:25:28","modified_gmt":"2019-05-31T18:25:28","slug":"which-wise-mans-castle-is-built-stronger-against-the-art-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/2013\/03\/01\/which-wise-mans-castle-is-built-stronger-against-the-art-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Wise Man\u2019s Castle is Built Stronger against The Art World?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lindsey Richmond<\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to evaluating the quality and strength of a piece of artwork there is no better place to take it than the art world; a powerful organization filled with experts, gallery owners, buyers, curators, artists, and other individuals, who are not afraid to make their opinions known. This art world can make or break an artist; the art world holds enough power to dictate which artists go down in art history, as well as enough power to control an undisputed hierarchy of the world\u2019s greatest and most influential artists.<\/p>\n

Two artists familiar with the art world are El Greco and Thomas Kinkade. El Greco is a 16th century artist who is regarded by the art world as the precursor to the expressionist and cubist movement. Thomas Kinkade on the other hand is a 21st century artist, considered to be the most successful artist ever, selling millions of his paintings worldwide. However, unlike El Greco, Thomas Kinkade has never been accepted by the art world, even after his early death at the age of 54.To understand why the art world chose to accept El Greco and not Thomas Kinkade, the artist\u2019s history, quality of work, critiques and technical style will be discussed in Lippard\u2019s three-pronged analysis on El Greco\u2019s View of Toledo<\/em> and Thomas Kinkade\u2019s Guardian Castle<\/em>.
\nEl Greco, The Greek<\/em>, is a 16th century artist from Crete, who spent most of his art years as a part of the Spanish Renaissance.
\nBorn in 1541, El Greco is known for his dramatic and expressionist style influenced by the counter-reformation of the Catholic Church. El Greco\u2019s work confused the public at first as his portraits and religious paintings reflected the mannerist movement defined by compressed space, bizarre colors, and elongated, contorted figures. It was not until the 20th century that El Greco\u2019s work became widely accepted. El Greco\u2019s View of Toledo, <\/em>as seen on the right, is one of the first landscape paintings ever painted in Spanish Art history. El Greco, at this time, only has two surviving landscape paintings, including View of Toledo<\/em>, the most recognized out of the two. Using Lippard\u2019s three-pronged analysis to examine the quality of the work requires the piece of work to first be examined on its form and material properties. View of Toledo<\/em> is a 47 \u00be x 42 \u00be in oil on canvas painting of the city of Toledo using dark shades of green and blue.<\/p>\n

The title reflects exactly what the painting shows, El Greco\u2019s view of the city of Toledo, where he worked and spent most of his life. Using the next two steps regarding content and context, the title can be examined because the image does not accurately show everything in Toledo. The image is an eastern view of Toledo from the north showing El Castillo de San Servando, Castle of San Servando. The main difference from the actual view of Toledo from the painting View of Toledo, is the fact that El Greco moved the Cathedral.<\/p>\n

If we were actually looking at Toledo, you would not be able to see the Cathedral. To understand why El Greco moved the Cathedral, the context in which the painting was painted must be examined. El Greco painted many religious paintings as he was born 24 years after Luther first revolted against the Catholic Church. El Greco\u2019s paintings show the influence of the Catholic Church\u2019s counter-reformation as many paintings depict religious sacraments: the Virgin, and the Saints. El Greco\u2019s work underscored the importance of Catholicism as he painted expressive religious paintings to reinforce traditional and the newly confirmed catholic beliefs.<\/p>\n

Like El Greco, Thomas Kinkade was a religious man, a conservative Christian who believed his paintings were messages from God. Born in 1952, Thomas Kinkade, a Placerville, California native, is known for his mass marketing, mass printing of his paintings, and his mass production of Kinkade products under The Thomas Kinkade Company\u2122. With millions of copies of Thomas Kinkade paintings sold, the value of Kinkade as an artist in the art world is nonexistent. Opinions range from \u201ca little more than successful kitsch [to] mall art, [and] merely kitsch without substance\u201d. Kinkade\u2019s paintings are considered bucolic \u2013 of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life. It is this aspect that creates controversy among admirers and critics. One of Thomas Kinkade\u2019s paintings is Guardian Castle<\/em>, as shown above. Using Lippard\u2019s three-pronged approach again, the material and form of the Guardian Castle<\/em> will be examined first. Kinkade\u2019s Guardian Castle<\/em> is a 24 x 30 inch canvas painting and print. Thomas Kinkade use of saturated pastel colors and highlights be seen throughout the painting in order to obtain \u201cserene simplicity\u201d.<\/p>\n

The content of Thomas Kinkade\u2019s painting is an idealistic scene that belongs in a fantasy land. In terms of context, Kinkade started out as a freelance artist who focused on the natural light in nature. Eventually this led to his commercialization process as exemplified with his mass selling on QVC home network. This is where the issue comes in with Kinkade paintings since \u201chis work is all about content not style\u201d and because of this he has not made \u201ca single contribution to how paintings can be painted or to what art can look like or do \u2013\u201d. Kinkade\u2019s struggle against the art world is understandable when analyzing his work. Kinkade was a talented painter whose paintings reflected the message of family, home values, and faith. These messages allowed Kinkade to tap into the idealistic world many Americans live in, which aided in his popularity shown through the selling of millions of copies of his paintings and products.<\/p>\n

So if Kinkade is the most sold artist ever, than why does the art world not accept him? Recently one critic explained why Kinkade battled with the art world:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason the art world doesn’t love Kinkade isn’t that it hates love, life, goodness, or God. We may be silly or soulless or whatever, but we don’t automatically hate things with faith and love or that other people love. We’re not sociopaths. (Well, most of us aren’t.) The reason the art world doesn’t respond to Kinkade is because none \u2014 not one \u2014 of his ideas about subject-matter, surface, color, composition, touch, scale, form, or skill is remotely original.”<\/em><\/p>\n

This explanation and opinion of Kinkade from the art world is much different than those of El Greco. In a New York Art Review, one critic analyzed El Greco\u2019s work with his own opinions and the opinions of others. One critic he mentioned was an eighteenth \u2013 century critic who said \u201cWe can define El Greco\u2019s art by saying that what he did well none did better, and that what he did badly none did worse\u201d referring to the delirium in El Greco\u2019s portraits. However, Mark Stevens, the author of this New York Art Review talks about how he was \u201conce dismissed, [and is] now revered\u201d concluding that \u201cThe truth is that El Greco asks more of you than analysis or appreciation. He wants your soul. You should twist a little in your skin, as his figures do.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether or not your skin twists a little to El Greco\u2019s paintings or if you find solace in the simplicity in Kinkade\u2019s idealistic paintings \/ prints, the quality of each artist\u2019s work shown in the artist\u2019s artistic vocabulary gives strength to the art world\u2019s opinion. Thomas Kinkade\u2019s vocabulary is \u201ca vocabulary of formulas, unfortunately\u201d while El Greco\u2019s artistic vocabulary includes elements of delirium, elongated figures, religious aspect, and color. These artists have both have fans and critics both inside and outside the art world. Whatever side you are on, it is important to understand how the aesthetics and Lippard\u2019s three-pronged analysis establishes the art works quality, and gives value to the artist. The three-pronged analysis of El Greco\u2019s View of Toledo<\/em> is far stronger than Thomas Kinkade\u2019s as he has contributed to art history, and will remain prominent in history for centuries to come.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThomas Kinkade \u2013 loved by many, loathed by art critics\u201d The Los Angeles Times<\/em>. April 9, 2012. http:\/\/latimesblogs.latimes.com\/culturemonster\/2012\/04\/why-was-thomas-kinkade-loathed-by-art-critics.html<\/p>\n

Tour: El Greco (Spanish 1541-1614) The National Gallery of Art. http:\/\/www.nga.gov\/collection\/gallery\/gg29 \/gg29-over1.html#jump<\/p>\n

View of Toledo. The Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/em>. http:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/Collections\/search-the-collections\/110001017<\/p>\n

Schumacher, Mary Louise. \u201cThomas Kinkade, inspiring hate among critics\u201d The Journal Sentinel<\/em>. April 10, 2012. http:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/blogs\/entertainment\/146844185.html<\/p>\n

Gopnik, Blake. \u201cThomas Kinkade \u2013 loved by many, loathed by art critics\u201d The Daily Beast<\/em>. April 9, 2012. http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2012\/04\/11\/thomas-kinkade-s-paintings-embody-an-american-vision-missed-by-many-artists.html<\/p>\n

Merriam-Webster\u2019s Dictionary<\/p>\n

Schumacher, Mary Louise. \u201cThomas Kinkade, inspiring hate among critics\u201d The Journal Sentinel<\/em>. April 10, 2012. http:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/blogs\/entertainment\/146844185.html<\/p>\n

Schumacher, Mary Louise. \u201cThomas Kinkade, inspiring hate among critics\u201d The Journal Sentinel<\/em>. April 10, 2012. http:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/blogs\/entertainment\/146844185.html<\/p>\n

Stevens, Mark. \u201cGreek Revival\u201d New York Art Review. http:\/\/nymag.com\/nymetro\/arts\/art\/reviews\/n_9298\/<\/p>\n

Gopnik, Blake. \u201cThomas Kinkade \u2013 loved by many, loather by art critics\u201d The Daily Beast<\/em>. April 9, 2012. http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2012\/04\/11\/thomas-kinkade-s-paintings-embody-an-american-vision-missed-by-many-artists.html<\/p>\n

\n

By: Lindsey Richmond<\/strong>
\nMajor: Animal Science & Spanish<\/strong>
\nExpected Graduation Date: May 2016<\/strong> – then Veterinary School
\nHometown: Mukilteo, WA<\/strong> <\/p>\n

I have always loved and appreciated art. Growing up, I was always involved in something artsy whether it was drawing, coloring, painting or crafting something. I once thought I would major in art, but science took over and became a stronger passion. I still love to draw – pencil and charcoal mostly. My family is also really artistic, and they always encouraged me to draw and create. One of my favorite art related memories was when I was in preschool. My preschool had different stations we could take part in like art, building with legos, watching movies, stuff like that. I remember I got in trouble from my teacher because I spent too much time in the art center. Like most 5 year-olds, I cried because I was banned from the art center for the rest of the week…apparently the other kids wanted a turn. I ended up being the only student who had a weekly time quota for the art center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lindsey Richmond<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[512],"tags":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions\/367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hub.wsu.edu\/andersen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}