"That Old Master" and Kinkade

Both the article and the Kinkade video represented art in similar ways: as business ventures. Banks used art as collateral for loans, virtually diminishing the pieces to dollar amounts. As for Kinkade, it was clear his pieces were manufactured to rack in the most cash in the least amount of time. This led me to question if the innate aesthetic value of the art was being compromised.

In answering this question I think it is important to understand that art can be viewed in several different ways. It can be judged for its concept, aesthetics, tone, value, etc, but it can also be judged for its worth in dollars or how well it would look above a sofa. While Kinkade is typically not viewed as a spectacular artist among the art critics, many people appreciate his pieces for their calm, cozy feel. By manufacturing his pieces in order to create millions of copies to sell, he is making art available to many more people and surely benefiting much more financially. So does this take away from its importance as an art piece? I don’t think so. Everyone would love to have a piece from their favorite artist, and Kinkade’s marketing techniques have allowed him to profit from this. Multiplying a piece of art does not make its appeal any less, just its dollar value.

As for banks using art as collateral, I find this a bit unsettling simply because I regard original art pieces as precious. It is one thing for an artist to market his own work, but quite another for a bank to hold one hostage. I agree this is a brilliant strategy on the bank’s part and equally beneficial for those taking out the loan, but it is sad to see people pawning these pieces for cash. As an artist myself I am extremely protective of my pieces and would be saddened to see them held by a bank instead of being shared with an audience.

There is more to art than collecting pieces worth money or creating formulaic scenes to rack in cash. While everyone has a right to do with their possessions as they wish, I think once a price is put on a piece its original message can be forgotten.