Christmas 

This painting, simply titled “Christmas,” was made by the American artist Thomas Kinkade. The painting speaks to a late 20th-century yearning for a nostalgic, idealized vision of family life centered on the home. Look at how Kinkade uses visual codes. The snow-covered cottage with its warmly lit windows references a romanticized past, one that many feel has been lost to the anonymity of modern life and the perceived threat of social fragmentation. In this context, art institutions, galleries, and museums can sometimes be seen as spaces that both preserve and critique these cultural values. Kinkade was celebrated, and also critiqued, for producing paintings that were easily reproduced and widely accessible. Whether his work reinforces or challenges existing social norms is a matter of ongoing debate. As historians, we might look to sources from popular culture, marketing materials, and critical reviews to better understand the complex social forces at play in the reception of Kinkade's art.