Often featuring lighthouses; bridges; or quaint country homes; Thomas Kinkadersquo;s soft-focus landscapes have permeated American visual culture during the past twenty years; appearing on everything from Bibles to bedsheets to credit cards. Kinkade sells his work through his shopping-mall galleries; QVC; the Internet; and Christian stores. He is quite possibly the most collected artist in the United States. While many art-world and academic critics have dismissed him as a passing fad or marketing phenomenon; the contributors to this collection do not. Instead; they explore his work and its impact on contemporary art as part of the broader history of American visual culture. They consider Kinkadersquo;s imagery and career in relation to nineteenth-century Currier and Ives prints and Andres Serranorsquo;s Piss Christ; the collectibles market and the fine-art market; the Thomas Kinkade Museum and Cultural Center; and ldquo;The Village at Hiddenbrooke;rdquo; a California housing development inspired by Kinkadersquo;s paintings. The conceptual artist Jeffrey Vallance; the curator of the first major museum exhibition of Kinkadersquo;s art and collectibles; recounts his experiences organizing that show. All of the contributors draw on art history; visual culture; and cultural studies as they seek to understand Kinkadersquo;s significance for both art and audiences. Along the way; they delve into questions about beauty; class; kitsch; religion; and taste in contemporary art.Contributors. Julia Alderson; Alexis L. Boylan ; Anna Brzyski; Seth Feman; Monica Kjellman-Chapin; Micki McElya; Karal Ann Marling; David Morgan; Christopher Pearson; Andrea Wolk Rager; Jeffrey Vallance
#567336 in eBooks 2011-03-07 2011-03-07File Name: B004Y1N8KK
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very basic travel guide. Underwhelming photography.By C. BestI bought this book as a gift for a photographer friend but decided not to give it to her because it was so disappointing. I was hoping for something along the lines of the "Photographing the Southwest" series by Laurent Martres (this is a great series). meaning an in depth discussion of popular as well as little known points of interest. insider tips for photographers and hikers. and beautiful photographs. Unfortunately. this book on the Smoky Mountains is more like a poor to mediocre travel guide that gives only the most superficial information about the most popular points in the park. Im fairly familiar with this park (I live nearby). and none of this information was new or enlightening. More than this can be found in conventional travel guides. visitor info inside the park. and online. The photographs in the book are nothing special either. They are lower quality (maybe cheap printing?) and less compelling than what you can find in conventional guide books. coffee table books. or on postcards in the park gift shop. There is a chapter or two that discusses techniques and tips for photography in general terms. I cant speak about the quality of the technical advice because Im not a photographer. but based on the rest of the books content and quality. Id guess that it is pretty standard stuff and likely pretty elementary.10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Good information inside. less than inspiring photographyBy JeffreyIf you arent familiar with the Smoky Mountains and the national parks layout. "Photographing the Great Smoky Mountains: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them" will certainly tell you where to find some good shots. As a basic informational resource. then. the book really is successful. It bunches photographic highlights geographically. and the writer gives quite a bit of historical/contextual information for each area. too. The maps included in the book making finding some of these photographic highlights easy.As a source of photographic inspiration. though. the book isnt as successful. I like to get excited about the places Im visiting and the types of pictures I might be able to take. and this book didnt really do that for me. Almost all of the photography here is pretty mediocre. Dont expect to be awed by the pictures. even if the writer does know what hes talking about (and he does). But Im not going to lie: more awe-inspiring photos can be found online and in other books that highlight photography in the national parks.In short. theres some good information here that will help you understand the park. its history. its geographical layout. and the book will definitely direct you to some of its top photo spots. Will you be inspired by the photography in the book? Doubtful.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Too generalBy Book HunterAs a photo enthusiast I try to research a location before I travel. This includes searching through picture sites. blogs and books. This books has a lot of general information on locations around the Smokies which saves some of the online searching. However the information is so general and in most cases there are no accompaning images to go with the text to illustrate the locations or show the potential. Whatever images are on the book I dont find very inspiring so in general I dont find this book to be essential.
