Way back in February, the Avercamp/Baldung match -- only the second ever Left Bracket Second Round Elimination contest -- was declared a tie. Ever since, it has been sitting there waiting for another similar lockup that would start the tiebreak mechanism into action.
Meanwhile, the great Fra Angelico/Anguissola false-tie fiasco was resolved, which allowed Fra Angelico to advance and beat Arcimboldo. This sent Arcimboldo into position in the Left Bracket Third Round, thus providing the necessary opponent for the winner of Albers/Alma-Tadema, the FIRST ever Left Bracket Second Round Elmination contest. When votes were tallied between the geometric minimalist and the Victorian classicist, however, they were... you guessed it: a tie. A weird one, too!
So, back we go to the very top of the very First Bracket Sheet to let these gentlemen work it out the old-fashioned way: by the vote of you, the IAT reader. Your vote counts!
Josef Albers
1888-1976
Dutch; worked in the United States
- Lost to animal specialist Jacques-Laurent Agasse in Round 1.
- Defeated early American painter Washington Allston in Left Bracket First-Round Elimination by two votes -- a one-vote swing would have resulted in a draw. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!
- Defeated living American minimalist Carl Andre in the Left Bracket Second Round by two votes -- a one-vote swing would have resulted in a draw. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!
- Tied with Alma-Tadema in an especially goofy Left Bracket Second Round Elimination match. YOUR SINGLE VOTE COUNTS!!
Hendrick Avercamp
1585-1634
Dutch
- Lost to Francis Bacon in Round 1.
- Clobbered Frank Auerbach in Left Bracket First-Round Elimination.
- Handily defeated 20th Century French painter Balthus in the Left Bracket Second Round.
- Locked in a tie with Hans Baldung in Left Bracket Second Round Elimination.
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.
16 comments:
Hmm, I have a thing for Albers, but really, if I had to pick one to hang on my wall, I think I'd prefer an Avercamp. So, Avercamp.
I am not particularly fond of washed-out backgrounds full of little tiny people, but I am less fond of paintings that give me a headache, so it's Avercamp.
Funny how someone - Mrs5000 I think it was? - said that the winning-side matchups are becoming an "I like them both but I like X better" when these elimination tiebreaks seem to be tending more towards "neither but I dislike Y less." At least for me.
Second guy in a LANDSLIDE. Painting actual things always beats out blobs of color. Plus I think they're playing an early form of ice hockey in one of those pics, and that's history right there . . .
Avercamp for Alison, but I will hold fast for Mr. Squares
Avercamp is certainly skillful--I have praised his buildings in earlier votes--but his crowd scenes don't fascinate me the way Bruegel's do. Everyone seems small and of equal importance--he's sort of like Grandma Moses with a good education. (Actually, Dr. Noisewater, I believe they're playing "kolf".)
Albers's work, on the other hand, has a sort of analytical playfulness/joyful severity about it that was quite new, and holds up well. I like that it has plenty of impact without needing to be the size of a billboard. Plus my husband digs it, and some of his enthusiasm has rubbed off. So, yes, Albers for me.
I'm voting Hendrick Avercamp. His scenes are boring, but that colored-square crap Albers does is crap.
Albers Albers Albers! I loves me some squares.
avercamp
sue
I still am feeling bad that I didn't vote for Avercamp in the first round. Go chilly Bruegel!
Chuckdaddy
Avercamp. Even though his paintings make me feel cold.
Here's a vote for Avercamp on an Avercamp postcard, no less!
Hmm, and then there's me. This is a really, really tough one for me -- two of my personal favorites LOCKED IN AN ICY STRUGGLE. Two meticulous dudes who pretty much stuck to what they felt they did best. And Albers has rotten image representation here. I'm going to say... Albers, by the breadth of an ice-skate blade.
Albers
It's an email vote for Avercamp.
Avercamp takes it fair and square, 10-15. Thank you for your awesome votes!
This tiebreak match is closed. Avercamp will jump to the "upper" of the two tiebreak brackets in contention.
That's, um, 10-5 of course.
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