The Interpretation of Christian Symbolism in the Painting of Thomas Kinkade

D. P. Shulgina

D. P. Shulgina Moscow City University

Keywords: Thomas Kinkade, contemporary Christian art, visual theology, Christian symbolism in art.

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.

Author Biography

D. P. Shulgina, Moscow City University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34680/vistheo-2021-2-145-151

Daria Shulgina
Moscow City University, Russia
shulginadp@mgpu.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6958-2529

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.

Keywords: Thomas Kinkade, contemporary Christian art, visual theology, Christian symbolism in art.

References

Barrs 2013 – Barrs J. Echoes of Eden: Reflections on Christianity, Literature, and the Arts. Wheaton (IL), 2013.

Hunsinger 2001 – Hunsinger G. Disruptive Grace: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth. Grand Rapids (MI), 2001.

Siedell 2012 – Siedell D. A. The Dark Light of Thomas Kinkade. Patheos. 2012. May 22. URL: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/cultivare/2012/05/the-dark-light-of-thomas-kinkade.

Sukhorukova 2019 – Sukhorukova О. А. Religious Sense of Art.
The Academic Journal of Moscow City University. Series: Philosophical Sciences. 2019. 2 (30). P. 57–63. In Russian.

Tulpe 2001 – Tulpe I. A. Religious in Secular Art. East – Russia – West: World Religions and Art. St. Petersburg, 2001. P. 179–183. In Russian.

About author

Daria P. Shulgina
Cand. Sci. (Art History),
Associate Professor of Universitywide Department of History.
Moscow City University, Russia.
E-mail: shulginadp@mgpu.ru

For citation:
Shulgina D. P. The Interpretation of Christian Symbolism in the Painting of Thomas Kinkade. Journal of Visual Theology. 2021. 2.
P. 145–151.
https://doi.org/10.34680/vistheo-2021-2-145-151