* source: http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/cooper_thomas_jr.html*

Although Thomas Cooper’s work is often classified as “kitsch,” it is actually a form of art known as Celtic art. One of the primary elements that separates kitsch from Celtic art is the intent of the artist. Kitsch artists do not intend for their work to be considered art, whereas Celtic artists are usually serious about their work and are not interested in simply making money from it.

Treating art as a mere commodity can be seen in the way the kitsch artist sells his or her work. Kitsch artists will tend to sell their pieces individually, and in mass quantities, whereas Celtic artists believe that their pieces are meant to be collected and enjoyed and will sell them as complete sets or in limited editions.*

The Celts were iron-age Europeans; their art has been described as the first body of European art that we can recognize as a coherent whole. Yet their art is often dismissed as kitsch – “ludicrously inappropriate or offensive in style, quality, or content”. What do we know about ancient Celtic art? What makes it good or bad?

Towards the end of the 18th century, with European civilization entering the Romantic era, there was an awakening of interest in the culture and history of pre-medieval Europe. The word “Celtic” was coined by English historian Edward Lluyd to describe this pre-Roman culture, and it became fashionable to learn about it through the medium of one of its surviving artefacts: the illuminated manuscripts written in ogham and Latin that are the only known examples of non-Latin script. However, this interest was predominantly among people with an existing interest in archaeology and antiquities.

The revival in Celtic culture was triggered by these romantic feelings for a lost age, which led to a number of works being published which attempted to reconstruct what life would have been like during the Iron Age. These works also tended to focus on religious practices, giving rise to several publications on Druidism which claimed that modern

Celtic art is a distinctive style of art that features knotwork, interlacing patterns, spirals, and representations of animals. It was produced by Celts in Europe from the 5 th century BC to the 3 rd century AD. Many examples survive from what is now Ireland and northern France, where The Gauls lived. Celtic art is associated with the La Tène culture.

Thing’s to know about Celtic art

Celtic art is commonly known for its use of intricate linear patterns and highly stylized animal motifs. This style was originally produced by the Celts in central Europe, but eventually spread to other countries including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Iceland and England. It has been represented in many forms ranging from carvings to metalwork to illuminated manuscripts and frescoes.

“Kitsch” is an English word used to describe art or decoration that appears gaudy or cheap because it lacks any real depth or substance. Kitsch objects are typically mass-produced items that have no intrinsic value beyond their superficial appearance. They are used purely for decorating homes or as gifts.

As well as being easily recognizable due to its crudeness, kitsch objects are also designed to be more aesthetically pleasing than they are

Celtic art is an ancient form of art which originated in the British Isles. Celtic art has been a popular form of expression in 20th century America and Europe. Celtic art has become widely popular because of its distinctive features, which include curvilinear lines and knotwork. The Celtic artistic style is often imitated by modern artists and designers, but such imitations are not considered genuine celtic art. Genuine celtic art is based on the intricate knotwork designs that were used for centuries by Celtic design artists as far back as 600 – 500 BC.

Tribal art, including celtic art, is primarily a concept of style rather than content. As such, it shares many stylistic elements with other forms of tribal artwork from around the world. However, celtic art differs from most tribal art in that it uses symbolic imagery to convey concepts related to life and death, nature and the human condition, religion and spirituality, and birth, marriage and death. The artwork associated with these themes was created to honor or venerate the various deities worshipped by the Celts.

A good example of celtic artwork that was originally created for religious purposes is the Book of Durrow, which dates from about 680 AD. This book contains

Kitsch is a kind of bad art. It’s art made in the spirit of something else — not necessarily a religion, but usually some other kind of ideal. The reason it’s bad is because it’s not made in the spirit of art itself.

Tolkien was an artist who created what he did out of the spirit of art itself. His creations were genuine art, which means they’re not kitsch.

Kitsch is easy to recognize because it always looks like it has a purpose beyond just being art. It looks like propaganda or advertising or a product or a political movement or some kind of statement about politics or culture or morality or social class. It looks like it’s trying to make a point instead of just being beautiful.

It also often looks new and different and shocking. Kitsch artists are trying to make their work stand out from the rest by making it look novel and original and surprising.

They’re also often using new tools and techniques for making art that seem really exciting and advanced at the time, but then get used so much that they become boring and ordinary.

That includes photography, film, television, computers, comics, anime and manga, graphic novels, pop music — especially rock music — rap music, hip hop music, digital music

Celtic art is not a style, but a movement which is thousands of years old. Celtic art is a name given to the style of artwork that was popular during the iron age, between 300 BC and 400 AD.

Tribal art, or tribal tattooing originated in the same period of time (iron age) as Celtic art. Tribal artists use techniques that are known to be tribal, such as dot work and line work. A common theme in tribal art is the spiral or the coil, which symbolizes life and energy. Celtic art also has many representations of spirals and coils.

Celtic art is based on sacred geometry. In some cases, this type of artwork was used for amulets or talismans worn around the neck or arm. The Celts believed that these symbols had power to heal people from physical ailments and illnesses, as well as being protective against evil spirits and other magical forces that could cause harm to their lives both spiritually and physically.*

In a way, it’s something like modern tattoos: you can have a totem/symbol/design that defines who you are as an individual on your body in ink form.*

A good example of Celtic artwork is a tattoo of a knot design; this is often an extension

The term Celtic art is used to refer to the style of art produced by the Celts between 500 BC and 400 AD. The Celts were an ancient people who lived in areas that are now part of Spain, France, England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Toward the end of the Celtic era, Roman influence became a powerful force in Celtic culture. The Romans had a huge impact on Celtic art. The Celts began to produce jewelry with classical themes such as animals and human faces. They also created sculptures of gods and goddesses.

Celtic art was not confined to jewelry, sculpture and buildings. It also included metalwork and other decorative arts such as weaving and glass-blowing. In fact, the Celts were quite skilled at metalworking in general. Their metalwork is characterized by elaborate details in twisted wire or interlacing patterns called filigree work.

The Celts also produced some very beautiful illuminated manuscripts (also called books of hours) that combine calligraphy with illustrations or images. Many examples of this type of artwork still exist today and they are considered fine examples of Celtic art.