Saturday, November 14, 2015

The Semi-Finals: van Gogh v. Grimshaw!





Last weekend was the first weekend of an odd-numbered month, but there was no semifinal match.  "No one will even notice," I told Mrs.5000, a few minutes before the horrified text from Tournament enthusiast Chuckdaddy.  Here, to right the wrong that was done, is the Fifth Round match that should have gone down one week ago.

Vincent van Gogh
1853 - 1890
Dutch; worked in France
Van Gogh's tremendous influence on the development of Expressionism is due to his unique skill as a draughtsman and his immediately recognizable heavy, sculptural line. He wrote to his brother, "Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more arbitrarily in order to express myself forcibly...to exaggerate the essential and to leave the obvious vague." Van Gogh's revolutionary approach to painting had a strong influence on the next generation of artists.... He offered these early modernists a powerful alternative to the avant-garde centrality of delicate Parisian Impressionism and post-Impressionism. - SparkNotes
  • Beat up on Hugo van der Goes in Round 1.
  • Got past Natalia Gontcharova in Round 2.
  • Gave El Greco a real drubbing in Round 3.
  • Lambasted Giotto in a Round 4 13-1 blowout.







Atkinson Grimshaw
1836 - 1893
English
Moonlight scenes are Grimshaw's best-known subjects. This broader technique, often featuring the mysterious atmosphere of mist-laden horizons, was particularly appreciated by middle-class clients. Grimshaw's dock scenes, and the manor houses glimpsed down leafy, stone-walled suburban lanes, along which a single figure walks, were especially popular.... Today Grimshaw is seen as one of the minor Victorian masters, his place assured by his moonlights, evocative of Victorian life of the 1870s and 1880s. - The Tate Gallery
  • Decisively beat 18th century French painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze in Round 1.
  • Advanced against Cubist Juan Gris in Round 2.
  • Stunned Venetian master Francesco Guardi in Round 3.
  • Took down Dutch master Frans Hals in Round 4.






13 comments:

Michael5000 said...

Matt Reilly, via FB, says "Moonlit schmoonlit. Grimshaw is going down!" which we can infer is a vote for Van Gogh.

mrs.5000 said...

At last a match I don't have to agonize over. Totally van Gogh.

Morgan said...

In contrast to Mrs. 5000, I definitely think this is a match worthy of the semi-finals. I like van Gogh's use of color, and I like how Grimshaw's skies draw me in. I'm in a Grimshaw mood tonight, but I think it could swing either way.

Michael5000 said...

Susan says "van Gogh."

boonec1974 said...

I really like Grimshaw, but he is overmatched in this one.

Nichim said...

I'll give it up for Grimshaw.

Ben said...

I like 'em both, but I have to vote for Van Gogh.

pfly said...

I really like Grimshaw and am quite tempted to vote for him. But I can't quite do it. Van Goggghhh it is.

Anonymous said...

Grimshaw- Elliott

Michael5000 said...

My vote is for Van Gogh, by a factor of about six million.

Candida said...

I do really like Grimshaw, and based on seeing the pictures on a computer screen, I might've voted for him. But every time I've been in a room with a Van Gogh, I've ended up getting sucked into it (even when I didn't recognize them as his), so I'm going with Van Gogh.

UnwiseOwl said...

You know what? I'm going to back Grimshaw.

Michael5000 said...

The votes are counted! Van Gogh received eight of them! Grimshaw took four of them! Which means that van Gogh will be taking on Eakins in Round Six, and Grimshaw will move on against the winner of the Gentileschi/Feininger match.