Визуальная теология (Dec 2021)
Interpretation of Christian Symbolism in the Painting of Thomas Kinkade
Abstract
The work of Thomas Kinkade is the subject of a discussion about contemporary Christian art in general. The artist’s commercial success and the enduring popularity of his work have attracted the attention of both art historians and theologians. Among the issues discussed are the place of Christian art in modern mass culture, the role of religious symbolism in secular art, and its rethinking in connection with the spiritual needs of modern society. The most difficult question is the acceptability of the artist’s image of “the world without the Fall” in the context of the Christian worldview, which is the central theme in Kinkade’s landscapes. The article examines the most common points of view about these problems, analyzes possible approaches to the estimation of the artist’s creative heritage in the context of visual theology.
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