Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Infinite Art Tournament Second-Round Elimination: Calder v. Canova!


Big-name painters Caravaggio and Caillebotte, currently locked in a Round Three tie, both struggled in their First Round match against a sculptural artist.  Those two upstarts, Alexander Calder and Antonio Canova, have both subsequently won two straight matches to find themselves facing each other in this Elimination match.  The winner will move on to face Vittore Carpaccio for a shot at the semi-finals.

It's a zero-sum game in the left bracket.  Calder's success is Canaletto's failure, and Canova's advancement comes at the expense of Edward Burra.  Both guys posted Tournament records of 1-2, with Burra's overall performance (21 cumulative votes for, 27 against) perhaps looking a little more impressive than Canaletto's (12-29). But then, Burra never had to take on Caravaggio.




Alexander Calder
1898 - 1975
American







Antonio Canova
1757 - 1822
Italian







Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting, but likely much longer.

18 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Canova, no contest. The second piece is so full of movement it doesn't need to actually move.

Christine M. said...

Calder

Unknown said...

Canova!!!

Chuckdaddy said...

This seems about far enough for the mobiler. A vote for pristine perfection.

Chuckdaddy said...

And some dorkiness to add. The 3rd link under Canova is off and, semifinals of what?

Morgan said...

I'm tempted to vote for Calder because I've seen some of his pieces in person, but I just can't say no to Canova.

Michael5000 said...

Chuck: You voting for Canova, then?

Link: fixed.

The semifinals go from Round 4 or 3e to 7. That will become clearer next year.

mrs.5000 said...

In this contest of steel v. marble, I find that Calder has my vote. More fun, less precious.

pfly said...

Oh, Canova.

lamanyana said...

Canova. Calder's difficult - I like the classic mobiles, but don't care for his large scale structures at all.

Michael5000 said...

If I'm really honest with myself, Canova's major selling point for me is the comely buttocks in the third image. That's not a bad selling point! But I'm going to stick it out another round for color and play. Calder.

Michael5000 said...

Here's a vote-by-mail for Calder.

Alison said...

Canova

Candida said...

Canova any day of the week.

Wildrover said...

Canova for me - love the elegant lines in the third piece.

UnwiseOwl said...

Canova here. I like the big structures, but the mobiles interest me not at all. Whereas that sculptures are divine.

Nichim said...

Canova.

Michael5000 said...

Calder put up a fight there in mid-contest, but the late votes all went against him, any day of the week. That sends him out of contention, and sends Canova on to a long-standing date with Carpaccio. Coming next Thursday!