In the Fifth match of the Fourth Round, the winning artists from the very top of the brackets finally reach the semi-finals!
Albrecht Altdorfer
c.1480-1538
German
- Defeated Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema by a single vote in Round 1.
- Crushed American minimalist sculpter Carl Andre in Round 2.
- Spent a year and a half subduing Switzerland's Jacques-Laurent Agasse in Round 3.
Fra Angelico
c.1387-1455
Italian
- Defeated Florentine master Andrea del Sarto in Round 1 by a decisive but respectful margin.
- Beat Sofonisba Anguissola in Round 2 by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!! (This match was incorrectly determined a tie in March 2013; the miscount was discovered in May 2013. YOUR VIGILANCE COUNTS!!!)
- Made it past Arcimboldo in Round 3.
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. Fourth-round matches are open for at least three months after posting.
Altdorfer absolutely, and even if I didn't really like these works (though I believe I voted against him in a previous round) I would vote for him now just for having the time and energy to paint every single leaf on every single tree and bush in the forest.
ReplyDeleteHad this been another matchup, I might very well have voted for Fra Angelico's "Jazz Hands Jesus and Robin (In Da) Hood."
Now the choices are getting harder! Well, I guess I just have a thing for Altdorfer. He's got such a variety of styles and subjects. There's that gigantic-scale "The Battle of Alexander at Issus", which reminds me of Bosch and Bruegel the Elder ("Tower of Babel" esp.). There's a surreal quality in a lot of his stuff I really like. Not just the trippy sky and leafscapes, but things like this painting: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Albrecht_Altdorfer_012.jpg
ReplyDeleteYea, it'll take a lot to knock out Altdorfer for me.
Fra Angelico
ReplyDeleteTough call, but I'll lean just slightly to Altdorfer. His paintings just feel a bit more epic to me.
ReplyDeleteI also feel like Altdorfer gets extra points for waiting so patiently.
ReplyDeleteFra Angelico!!!
ReplyDeleteFra Angelico
ReplyDeleteAlbrecht, but I can't really express why, nor do I feel strongly about it.
ReplyDeleteALTDORFER YEAH
ReplyDeleteAltdorfer is good! I might say a master, in fact. Look at the details! Look at those leaves on the trees! But Fra Angelico is also excellent; the simplicity in his paintings have the same effect that brevity does to wit. The use of negative space makes Altdorfer's clutter look uncivilized. And the colors in Angelico's works are brilliant and deliberate. The rainbow angel wings are, in particular, excellent.
ReplyDeleteI'll vote Angelico, but not without warming up quite a bit to Altdorfer with this deliberation.
Fra Angelico!
ReplyDeleteAltdorfer
ReplyDeleteAltdorfer for me, please, thus proving that I like over-the-top detail more than I like spareness and purity of form--at least today.
ReplyDeleteAltdorfer, an artist I had never heard of before and who is strangely captivating.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Fra-Angelico in real life and the big draw for me is the amazing shade of blue he favors. But that isn't enough to overcome Altodorfer.
Rinda
I'll go for Fra Angelico and a peaceful marriage.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to flip my vote to Fra Angelico. The fourth picture you have for Altdorfer is in my top ten for favorites thus far in this tournament. That being said, I like Fra's overall style better. I also appreciate my friendship with Mrs. 5000.
ReplyDeleteHere's an emailed vote: Altdorfer over Fra Angelico -- I just so love the knight in the forest. It is on the cover of a wonderful book: Landscape & Memory by Simon Schama. It took me about five years to read it but was worth every minute.
ReplyDeleteAltdorfer swims a lttle more in my soul than Fra Angelico does. (That's a good thing--for Altdorfer, at least.)
ReplyDeleteIt was all tied up at the end of August, but two late votes for Altdorfer push the German into the FIRST EVER Fifth Round match, 9-7!! We'll see Fra Angelico again in the increasingly treacherous Left Bracket. We'll see Altdorfer again tomorrow.
ReplyDelete