A cozy thatched cottage tucked beside a tree-lined lane, smoke curling from brick chimneys. Lampposts casting a glow over the scene.
These are the soothing images – the functional equivalent of comfort food — that made artist Thomas Kinkade a fortune in the 1980s and ‘90s. Museums spurned the homespun canvases, but ordinary Americans couldn’t get enough.
Kinkade called himself the “Painter of Light,” with no apology to an earlier artist known by that moniker — 19th century British landscape and seascape painter J.M.W. Turner. We don’t know what if any secrets Turner harbored, but it turns out Kinkade possessed a dark side amid all that light. His complicated and fascinating story is told in the acclaimed new documentary Art for Everybody, directed by Miranda Yousef.
The filmmaker joins the latest episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss her film, which enjoys a 100% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Yousef explains how Kinkade built an art empire, selling his work and branded merchandise through mall stores. He became a born-again Christian and successfully marketed his paintings as conveying old time-y values that resonated with religious conservatives. But meanwhile, he was battling demons and secretly creating artwork of a very different kind than what he had become known for – paintings he hid away in a vault. No cozy cottages here.
Kinkade’s widow and four daughters (each of them named for a famous painter) are interviewed in the documentary but didn’t have any role producing it. This is not one of those “authorized biography” kind of productions.
Doc Talk co-host John Ridley says the film “jumps to the head of the line” of documentaries released this year, declaring, “I was just blown away by it.” The New York Times’ Alissa Wilkinson gave it a Critic’s Pick designation, praising the film as “well structured, meticulously researched and revealing.” (Art for Everybody is screening April 29 at Vidiots in the Los Angeles area).
Painter of light or dreck? That’s the question on the new edition of Doc Talk, co-hosted by Oscar winner Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley), and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.
