Readers will know Bob Ross (1942-1995) as the gentle, afro'd
painter of happy trees on PBS. And while the Florida-born artist is
reviled or ignored by the elite art world and scholarly art
educators, he continues to be embraced around the globe as a healer
and painter, even decades after his death. In "Happy Clouds, Happy
Trees," the authors thoughtfully explore how the Bob Ross
phenomenon grew into a juggernaut.
Although his sincerity in embracing democracy, gift economies,
conservation, and self-help may have left him previously denigrated
as a subject of rigorous scholarship, this book uses contemporary
art theory to explore the sophistication of Bob Ross's vision as an
artist. It traces the ways in which his many fans have worshiped,
emulated, and parodied him and his work. His technique allowed him
to paint over 35,000 paintings in his lifetime, mostly of mountains
and trees in landscapes heavily influenced by his time in the Air
Force and stationed in Alaska.
The authors address issues of amateur art, sentimentality,
imitation, boredom, seduction, and democratic practices in the art
world. They fully examine Ross as a painter, teacher, healer, media
star, performer, magician, and networker. In-depth comparisons are
made to Andy Warhol and Thomas Kinkade, and mention is made of his
life in relation to Joseph Beuys, Elvis Presley, St. Francis of
Assisi, Carl Rogers, and many other creative personalities. In the
end, "Happy Clouds, Happy Trees" presents Ross as a gift giver,
someone who freely teaches the act of painting to anyone who
believes in Ross's vision that "this is your world."
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