Saturday, July 4, 2015

The Semi-Finals: Degas v. Dürer!





Edgar Degas
1834 - 1917
French
Degas was the only Impressionist to truly bridge the gap between traditional academic art and the radical movements of the early 20th century, a restless innovator who often set the pace for his younger colleagues.... Acknowledged as one of the finest draftsmen of his age, Degas experimented with a wide variety of media.... Once marginalized as a “painter of dancers,” Degas is now counted among the most complex and innovative figures of his generation, credited with influencing Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and many of the leading figurative artists of the 20th century. - Encyclopædia Britannica
  • Whupped it up on sculptor Richard Deacon in Round 1.
  • Stomped on Eugène Delacroix in Round 2.
  • Crushed countryman Honoré Daumier in Round 3.
  • Bested Caravaggio in Round 4.







Albrecht Dürer
1471 - 1528
German
No artist better fits Thomas Carlyle's definition of genius, as the "transcendent capacity of taking trouble," than Albrecht Dürer. The industry of the man was breathtaking, his mastery of detail astonishing, yet everything he did seemed fresh and newly minted. The most intellectual of northern Renaissance artists, but the one who responded most immediately to nature, to the world and the people around him, he was profoundly religious yet supremely open-minded. - New York Times
  • Defeated Anthony Van Dyck without too much trouble in Round 1.
  • Art-Brutalized Jean Dubuffet in Round 2.
  • Went ninja on Donatello in a massive Round 3 victory.
  • Beat Richard Diebenkorn on his home court in Round 4.






16 comments:

Christine M. said...

Degas

DrSchnell said...

Degas

Morgan said...

A tough one, but I am going to vote for Albrecht "Has a graph named after him" Dürer.

mrs.5000 said...

You know, I admire Durer, but I get a disdainful vibe from him. I am definitely going for Degas. Like, the edge of that table, with the woman bathing in a tub? The space she is in, and then the flat white cliff with the objects on it? The audacity of that. Yum.

Ben said...

I like them both a lot, but I'm going with Degas.

boonec1974 said...

Go Degas!

pfly said...

Man these semi-finals are tough. I'd probably prefer to have some Degas hanging on the walls here at home, but I'm going to buck the trend I see forming and say Dürer.

Michael5000 said...

Susan goes for Degas.

Elliott said...

Dürer... No Degas. Yes, Degas.

Michael5000 said...

These are two artists that have really grown on me through the Tournament, especially Degas. They are both so very splendid.

I think in the end, though, I'm going to marginalize Degas as a 'painter of dancers,' and throw my vote to the slightly distainful Dürer, and his bunny.

Candida said...

Durer, definitely.

lamanyana said...

Dürer

Nichim said...

This is a really old one. But Degas.

UnwiseOwl said...

Durer. Go that rabbit.

Anonymous said...

Degas, absolutely.

Michael5000 said...

It's Degas, absolutely, with nine votes against Dürer's six. That makes Degas technically the first artist into the Sixth Round. He'll take on Caillebotte in a big March 1 throwdown. But then, Dürer's going to be up against Cezanne next in the Left Brackets, so it's definitely going to stay lively.