The Thomas Kinkade of transgressive art
The droll Sean M. wonders why the press continues to cover that guy who takes pictures of large crowds of naked people. Spencer Tunick is his name, working the media is his game. He’s like Christo, except instead of wrapping things in colored fabric, his medium is tons of naked bohemian cellulite. The setting may change, I think it was a bank once, and a department store, but it’s always tons of naked bohemian cellulite. And it’s for some reason, it’s always news.
Sean addresses Tunick directly:
Your pictures actually combine the “spirit” of conning a big crowd of doughy people who are (probably) liberal dupes into getting nude in public places in the name of doing something “transgressive,” with your ability to con the media into giving you free publicity, again, because you’re a “transgressive” “artist.”
News flash: 1,840 naked hippies is, like, Tuesday in the park at Berkeley. (Go ask Zombie.) It may have been transgressive the first time it happened, but unclothed artsy flash mobs are sooooo 2002. Besides, crazy Yalie Aliza Schvarts pretty much set the bar for artistic transgression art out of reach.
In fact, I hereby pronounce the very act of creating “transgressive art” to be middlebrow and mainstream*, and Spencer Tunick to be the Thomas Kinkade of transgressive art.
I don’t hate Thomas Kinkade or anything. And I usually love people who like Kinkade, and I usually dislike people who dislike people who like Kinkade, even if I don’t much care for Kinkade myself. At least he’s popular for a reason. Unlike Tunick’s, the images he creates are pleasant to look at, and make people feel nice things. But exactly like Tunick, he’s everywhere, he’s more marketing than talent, and he does exactly the same thing again and again and again.
___________________________________
*Well, that’s not entirely true. Some transgressive art can still shock and create a dialogue, and highlight social inequities, and do all the things transgressive art is supposed to do.
{Post by See-Dubya}
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Trackbacks
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Categories: Uncategorized
Power Line
» More From the East Anglia Archives
Doug Ross @ Journal
» ACORN pwnage part II: Breitbart's BigGovt Lowers the BoomBig Government
» BREAKING: San Diego ACORN Document Dump ScandalVillainous Company
» Amateur Hour in the Oval Office Continues....Green Room
» Times Slimes Obamic ClimesLegal Insurrection
» Nation Mag Outs Secret U.S. Anti-Terror Program
Like P.T. Barnum once said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Spencer Tunick’s talent is getting them to mass together in one place.
Makes ya miss Ansel Adams, now his work was art, breathtaking.
Whatever, as long as I am not taxed for it. I am not, am I? Please tell me I am not taxed for this.
I’ve always wondered why group pictures of unattractive naked people is considered “art”.
.
Because group pictures of attractive naked people are considered “porn”.
It’s either “Art” or Berkeley, your choice
lol see-dubya….
MY EYES!!!
Not that I want to get into -this- discussion, but…there’s alot of ugly people in porn……
*whistles innocently*
Anyway…this is nothing new. and it seems kinda novel, really. not impressed. naked hippies just means its time to hose them down for a bath.
In the world of Bork!
Thomas Kinkade mixes capitalism and art quite well. Go to the “feminist art” wing of the Brooklyn Museum if you want to see some modern
artcrap.He’s a scam artist whose managed to punk softheaded newsroom editors into believing that he’s making a serious “statement.”
…
…the nastiest smell evah! EWWWWW
Thats what they look like without the tie die ??!? O.K., everybody BACK to the dressing room !
You wanna be upwind from this piece…
Still trying to relive the 60’s. How pathetic.
re:post #5
There is a diffeerence between ughly and bautiful naked people, C-dubya?
WOW!
It’s like the old Grateful Dead joke, but now goes something like this…
Q: what does a hippie in the crowd of a Spencer Tunick gathering say when he runs out of cannabis?
A: man, this sucks.
Ha, ha those old hippies… always doing something to make a statement. I wonder what the statement this time is? Free plastic surgery for the masses so they don’t have to look like us? Perhaps, perhaps.
News people have an infantile obsession with public nudity. They need psychiatric help.
As for the distinction between art and porn, Lenny Bruce went a little further. He said that if a female breast is misshapen, bruised or battered, it’s clean. But if it is whole, healthy and pleasing to the eye, it’s dirty. “That’s why an atrocity photo is never an obscenity photo,” the comedian concluded.
Do the naked peeps get paid? or are they free morons?
Cuddle Party people in training?…. could be.
On May 12th, 2008 at 4:56 pm, undrseige247 said:
Thomas Kinkade mixes capitalism and art quite well. Go to the “feminist art” wing of the Brooklyn Museum if you want to see some modern art crap.
Wait… something is wrong here… where is Chuck Schumer? Why are the birds so quiet? Something is wrong here.
Probably bored with just cuddling with jammies on.
Did you hear that a little person showed up to join in, but they made him leave?…he was getting in everyone’s hair.
The most interesting thing about Thomas Kinkade is that he not only shares my surname, he spells it correctly. My whole life I’ve had to give people my name followed immediately by spelling it. And yet people still spell it wrong.
As for his art, it’s fine for what it is. At least he does not feature naked, geriatric hippies.
Sincerely,
Mike Kinkade
I’m sure you’ll find Pelosi, Reid in the mix there somewhere. They’re just frustrated hippies.
This is awesome!! Did Tomboy Kinkade think up this really really groovy new idea all by his lonesome?
I mean WOW! Nude people.
You need to be real creative to think this shyte up. Or you need to have bought John Lennon albums nearly 40 years ago.
Next they will break out into a massive twister game. Left hand on blue.
abstractmind said:
forget the hippies, long live the hedgehog!
JA #29 – mental pictures – icky! MistressJustice – can we say icky?
Where the heck is MJ????
just askin’
I think they get paid Two Bits, which would make them two bit “wh*res”. Just guessing though.
Heh.
I think the “models” are related to the “Cuddlers”. Hoping to bump into someone – literally.
Aliza Schvarts has set the new bar… but leave it to liberals and old hippies to spend their days trying to come up with something grosser. They’ll do it too.
Everytime I’ve thought they can’t get worse, they manage it just fine.
Misscheryl said:
Misscheryl, this is my mental picture of MistressJustice.
Now THAT was funny!
undrseige247, Re: “this is my mental picture of MistressJustice”
In good faith, I will not sue you this time.
Why is it always the people you would least like to see naked who have the compelling need to give you an eyefull????
It’s like ballet, beautiful… until the guy in the tight tights comes out.
What would the “artist” do if Helen Thomas wanted to participate? Shudders.
Unfortunately, this is what a lot of “art” is these days… crap, and it requires less and less talent. But, if you tell them that, they would say you just don’t understand art.
Since people in these crowds don’t get worked “up”, would this be considered soft porn?
I’ve never seen attractive people in pr0n and I’ve watched a lot of… Uh, the major difference seems to be one group showers and loves plastic surgery. Maybe because you have to shower prior to surgery.
Please tell me local authorities make a habit of setting up D.U.I. checkpoints nearby.
He’s one of these artists whose early work was very interesting but not very lucrative and he finally latched onto something that makes him money and he’s riding it for all its worth.
(Yawn)
I think I’ll just stick with Charles Russell, Fredrick Remington, David Mann, and Norman Rockwell, thank you very much.
I’ve always wondered who does this and why they think its a good idea. Is there like an ad in the local paper or something…”Weirdo photographer seeks naked people to stand in local park for art”? I guess exhibitionists love it, though…
Berkley? Who would notice?
But seriously, everyone knows those Americans aren’t really that tough. For instance, let’s see this.
Link to Tunick on a glacier, maybe not for work place viewing. (But it’s Art)
“Mama always liked Thomas Kinkade.”- F. Gump
Never underestimate the power of Tunick’s works to act as both an emetic as well as a mild to aggressive laxative.