Back in December 2011, we gave my colleague (a Sag, like me) a calendar as a birthday present. It was a selection of paintings by the American artist Thomas Kinkade who unexpectedly passed away this weekend. The colleague has just found out, told us, and she is very sorry; in her words, every month when she changes a calendar on the wall she discovers a new piece of art that she enjoys looking at.
In his own words, Kinkade saw his mission in art as a capturing “those special moments in life adorned with beauty and light”. Kinkade was doubtless a modern-day John Constable, their paintings being a bit too idyllic but so masterful you could not possibly count their idealism as a weakness.
The work left behind impresses with its range of settings, the colours, the composition, and – last but not least – the popularity. There are various means of measuring the artistic merit, but one of them is people’s needing your work and telling you about it by buying mugs, paintings, calendars, and actually remembering and telling others about you.
I include two of Thom’s Cityscape paintings (both are from his official website). One is that of Venice, it hardly needs any explanation. Another is Sunset over Riga. Now, Riga is the capital city of Latvia. It is once again very popular among tourists, following the Soviet era; and in Soviet times it unfailingly provided the location for movies about the “West”. Riga, Talling and Vilnius with their Western, especially medieval, architecture and serpentine lanes served as a backdrop for many films. This is the text Thom wrote about the painting:
“Recently I had the chance to visit the enchanting city of Riga in the tiny Baltic republic of Latvia. For my painting Sunset Over Riga, Latvia, I attempted to capture the elusive light of dusk. When you paint as the sun is setting, God sets the timetable. Riga, Latvia, is one of the grand old cities of Europe, considered to be the romantic heart of the Baltic. We are fortunate to live in an era when this historic treasure with its picturesque medieval districts, can once again be celebrated by all. Sunset Over Riga, Latvia displays the vast sweep of the ancient city, in the manner of El Greco’s “View of Toledo.” Dominated by the soaring spires of St. Peter’s on the square and the Dome Church, the skyline flickers with a thousand points of light, creating a festive atmosphere. Enjoying the sunset view, I am not surprised to learn that Riga is the historic home of the world’s very first Christmas tree“.
