Art: Thomas Kinkade Passes

 

Thomas Kinkade, the popular painter, has died. He was 54.

Said to be one of America's most collected living artists, Kinkade was known for his distinctively sentimental, often religiously-themed landscapes.

Though heavily criticized in the art world for his style – which bordered on kitsch – Kinkade produced a body of work that was estimated to fetch an average of $100 million in sales each year.

The self-described "painter of light" – who likened himself to Walt Disney and his hero, Norman Rockwell, in his desire to make people happy – died Friday at home in Los Gatos, Calif., outside San Francisco, of what appeared to be natural causes. - People

via People