Gustave Caillebotte
1848 - 1894
French
A patron and publicist of the impressionist movement as well as a painter himself, he has been sorely neglected until recently. His pictures show us the world's sheer randomness as well as its patterns of order. Like Munch and Van Gogh, Caillebotte manipulated perspective to produce overwrought sensations of depth. He captured the boulevard's chaotic variety and the depersonalization of the modern city. His tautly focused realism, wide-angled spaces and cooly detached viewpoint upset his contemporaries, yet in today's cinematic culture his paintings resonate with familiarity. - Publisher's Weekly
- Defeated mobile pioneer Alexander Calder in Round 1.
- Held out against Edward Burra in Round 2.
- Fought to a draw with Caravaggio in Round 3.
- Crushed Corot in the Round 3 tiebreaker.
- Blasted Mary Cassatt in a Round 4 15-0 blowout.
Frederick Church
1826 - 1900
American
From the first, Church showed a remarkable talent for drawing and a strong inclination to paint in a crisp, tightly focused style. During the late 1840s and early 1850s Church experimented with a variety of subjects, ranging from recognizable views of American scenery, to highly charged scenes of natural drama, to imaginary creations based on biblical and literary sources.... Gradually, however, he began to specialize in ambitious works that combined carefully studied details from nature in idealized compositions that had a grandeur and seriousness beyond the usual efforts of his contemporaries. - National Gallery of Art
- Brutalized 13th Century master Cimabue in Round 1.
- Lambasted Dutch still-life specialist Pieter Claesz in Round 2.
- Took down the popular Joseph Cornell in what was described as a "cruel" Round 3 pairing.
- Stunned Paul Cézanne in Round 4 by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Caillebotte
ReplyDeleteOof. These semifinal rounds are going to be BRUTAL. I am going to have to go away and think about this one for a bit. As "please keep both artists in the competition" is probably not a valid vote.
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how some artists seem to grow on people, while others seem to lose their steam as the tournament continues. And I am still happy to be riding the Caillebotte train. I think Church is really good, but he's one of the artists I've liked a little bit less each round.
ReplyDeleteOn to round five Caillebotte!
I'm definitely sad to vote against Church, but Caillebotte is my preferred artist in this matchup.
ReplyDeleteCailbotte all the way! That second painting is in the Art Institute in my home town of Chicago, and it's one of my absolute favorites.
ReplyDeleteLinda goes for Caillebotte on the FB feed.
ReplyDeleteI am voting with Morgan.
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte has gotten 34 out of the last 35! He is en fuego!
ReplyDelete<3 Caillebotte <3
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte
ReplyDeleteChurch
ReplyDeleteMe too, Elliott.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed Church, but he's no Caillebotte.
ReplyDeleteHere's an emailed vote for Church, from Susan.
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte for me too. The self-portrait is my favorite but I admire the fact that he seems to have experimented with several styles and genres - as well as the portrait, there's a street scene, a bar scene and a landscape. Church is an exceptional landscape painter but he does not seem to have strayed from his comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteCaillebott? More like CailleBOSS!
ReplyDeleteMore naunced art commentary from the antipodes.
Caillebotte wins big here, thirteen votes to three. He's going to take on his friend Degas in an all-France, all-star Round Six contest -- while Church has a chance to make it back in the Left Bracket, but only if he can get past Caravaggio. Caravaggio! Well, there aren't going to be many lightweight matches from here on out.
ReplyDelete