But I suspect Orleans is an outlier, not only because the documentary says that in one of 20 American households, one in every 20 households purchased “Kinkade,” which means licensed prints – putting it on the wall, and more. For those who grew up in and around American Christian culture, especially those with an evangelical flavour, he has been everywhere since the 1980s, appearing in the church halls and in the living room of grandma. As art critic Blake Gopnik points out in the film, Kinkade’s “despise” of critics and institutions positioned himself in the art world seen as a degenerate and anti-family art in the cultural wars of the 1980s and 1990s. Kinkade offers a vision for a perfect, beautiful world, himself a guardian of “family, God, nation and beauty” (what he says in the archive video).
All of this is Kinkade, a marketing genius – one respondent thinks Warhol may be jealous – and is an outspoken religious family man. But this made him die at the age of 54 in 2012, which is even more shocking. Kincard dies after alcohol and Val overdose, which is due to alcoholism and unstable behavior (plus failed recovery), due to alcoholism, heck and unstable behavior (plus failed recovery).
It can easily use it as an example of hypocrisy, just another person with external integrity who keeps the secrets of real life until it erupts from him. But “Everyone’s Art” (although carefully researched and revealed to Kinkade Janded audiences like me) manages to complicate the narrative, thanks in part to sensitive interviews with family and friends, including his wife Nanette, Nanette, Nanette and their four daughters. They say Kincaid is a dynamic, multifaceted man, partially forced by his reputation, and can only show one aspect of himself in his art: glowing, wealthy, faithful and family aspects. For example, in the 1990s, various moments of Kinkade’s image appeared in magazines published by conservative evangelical groups, focusing on families led by influential cultural warrior James Dobson. Kinkade is in the brand store in the mall and he filmed a TV show that shows his perfect family, love for life and dedication to Christian faith.
The real Jincard is more complicated. The most surprising revelation in “Everyone’s Art” is what his family calls the “vaud”. As part of the Kinkade brand, only 600 of only 600 were “published”, but in the vault we caught glimpses of thousands of works that would never hang in Christian bookstores. They show a more fascinating artist who experiments in form and style and often portrays the darkness deep within him. In several images, the dark breeding figures presented by charcoal seem to be bothering. The others are weird comics, very humorous. As a young art major, he has audiotape vows to “avoid stupid, sweet and charming photos; I want to paint the truth.” The film believes that stuffing these impulses can explain why he succumbed to addiction.
However, this art is not suitable for everyone and cannot be marketed to the public, at least not the job of a “light painter”. This means that while “Everyone’s Art” reveals Kincard’s real life and the fantasies he peddled, it’s more obvious about the nature of art and the way it takes to achieve economic success in the mass market. Art Products Kitsch calls Kinkades good: they are sensual and factory-made, designed to put viewers in a fear of nostalgia, and critical thinking can simply disappear. The world they represent is designed for white Christians who want to collect enhanced rather than challenge their faith. (One interviewee noted that there was no people of color in Kincard’s urban landscape.)
