"Simpler Times"
In my bachelor project I explored the correlation of kitsch and ideology and created an artistic 3D animation inspired by the paintings and life of world-famous artist Thomas Kinkade. There is much more to kitsch than dreamy sunsets, antiquated porcelain and romanticism. Kitsch can be found everywhere around us, it forms us and our understanding of the world. Apart from its often questionable aesthetic, there is an underlying danger to it; ideology and simplification. Flaws and differences get eradicated to fit the narrative. Instead of accepting the general contingency of life and working towards a better future, simplified and romanticised images of an allegedly better past are being created. Just as Kinkades wholesome, christian family life was a facade that cracked open and revealed completely different aspects of his life, it only takes a few minor errors within emotionally and aesthetically exaggerated images of an ideal world to burst the kitsch bubble.
2019