7. Sunset On Lamplight Lane By Thomas Kinkade
With bucolic scenes of Christmas cottages in the snow, and saturated pastel colours that are positively dripping with chocolate-box sentimentality, the fine-art world overwhelmingly derided Kinkade’s work as little more than commercially successful kitsch. The artist received criticism for the extent to which he had commercialised his art, for example, selling his prints on the QVC home shopping network. Others have written that his paintings are without substance, and have described them as “mall art.” In a 2001 interview, Kinkade proclaimed, “I am really the most controversial artist in the world.” Maybe because the artist’s work was saccharine enough to cause a fatal sugar rush.