Thomas Kinkade, A Peaceful Retreat, 2002, available in several sizes in different media, Photo by Glen Dahlman via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.
Kitsch (noun or adjective)
German for “trash,” kitsch is art that is overly sentimental and vulgar. Kitsch is considered in poor taste because it is a pale and formulaic imitation of genuine achievements in the fine and applied arts. Conversely, it lacks pretension and is not elitist. In the purest definition of the word, kitsch is marked by a complete absence of irony.
The Nazis and the Soviet Union have exploited kitsch imagery for political purposes. In capitalist cultures, kitsch often is advertised to appeal to consumers with social and economic aspirations.
