The Infinite Art Tournament, Round One: Leighton v. Tàpies!

Frederic Leighton
1830 - 1896
British

Tied with Fernand Léger in his first try at Round One.
Tied with Paula Modersohn-Becker in his second try at Round One.
Tied with Adriaen van Ostade in his third try at the First Round.

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Antoni Tàpies
1923 - 2012
Spanish

Tied with Vladimir Tatlin in his first try at Round One.

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Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.

The Infinite Art Tournament, First Elimination Round #60/64

Faceoff #1: Uccello v. Utrillo

Paolo Uccello
1397 - 1475
Florentine

Lost to Kitagawa Utamaro in Round 1.

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Maurice Utrillo
1883 - 1955
French

Lost to Félix Vallotton in Round 1.

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Faceoff #2: Veronese v. Verrocchio

Veronese
1528 - 1588
Venetian

Lost to Jan Vermeer in Round 1.

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Andrea del Verrocchio
1435 - 1488
Florentine

Thumped by Vieira da Silva in Round 1.

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Vote for the two artists of your choice! Votes generally go in the comments, but have been known to arrive by email, by postcard, or in a sealed envelope.

Please note that you may vote only once in each face-off.  Opining that both of the artists in one of the two face-offs is superior to the other is fine, but casting your votes for two artists in the same face-off is not permissible.

The Infinite Art Tournament Left Bracket Second-Round Elimination TIEBREAK: Matta v. Renoir!

As we creep ever closer to the end of the opening salvos of the Infinite Art Tournament -- as we begin to contemplate the idea that the Sixth Round will be kicking off, in all likelihood, within a year!! -- it behooves us to nudge some of the more conspicuous bracket logjams.  That's why I'm declaring the Laurencin/Matta match a tie.  It's been 19 months since the most recent vote was cast, and it might be a little challenging for even the most devoted scholar of the Tournament to put his or her finger on why there's anything irregular in the decision.

About that match, Susan said "I would eliminate both Laurencin & Matta. If that throws away my vote, that's okay."  That having thrown away her vote, the six-six tie ensued.  So, Matta will now take on Renoir, who was in a much more recent tie (also six-six) with Raeburn.  We'll get around to Laurencin/Raeburn in a few weeks.

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Roberto Sebastian Echaurren Matta
1911 - 2002
Chile

• Lambasted by Henri Matisse in Round 1.
• Decisively defeated German portraitist Anton Raphael Mengs in First Round Elimination.
• Snuck past Dutch master Jan Davidsz de Heem in the Left Bracket Second Round by a two vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
• Tied with Marie Laurencin in the Left Bracket Second Round Elimination. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!

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Pierre Auguste Renoir
1841 - 1919
French

• Pulled away from Sir Joshua Reynolds in Round 1.
• Lost to Rembrandt in Round 2.
• Beat Gerhard Richter in the Left Bracket Second Round.
• Locked in a tie with Guido Reni in Left Bracket Second Round Elimination. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
• Deadlocked again, this time with Sir Henry Raeburn, in Left Bracket Second Round Elimination. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!

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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.

The Infinite Art Tournament, Round One: Whistler v. Wilkie!

James Abbot McNeill Whistler
1834 - 1903
American; worked in Britain

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Sir David Wilkie
1785 - 1841
British

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Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.

The Semi-Finals: Patenier v. Raphael!

Third Thursday: Bringing big names to your mid-month!

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"Semifinals" designates the Fourth to Seventh Rounds of the Infinite Art Tournament.  This is a Fifth Round Match.  It pits Patinir (4-0, 32-15, .681), who just beat Camille Pissaro by a single vote, against Raphael (4-0, 32-12, .727), who beat Pierre-Paul Prud'hon.

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Joachim Patenier (usually "Patinir" these days)
1485ish - 1524
Dutch

Patinir had the desire to see the world as a bird did, or even perhaps as God did -- from above, spreading out below in all its detail and variety.  Here we see a great vista that Patinir himself could not possibly have seen.  Because Patinir lived at a time when landscape in itself was not regarded as sufficient theme for a work, he always wove a story into the picture. - Sister Wendy's 1000 Masterpieces

• Skunked German Expressionist Max Hermann Pechstein in Round 1.
• Beat Francis Picabia in Round 2.
• Stunned Pablo Picasso with a one-vote victory in Round 3. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
• Defeated Camille Pissarro in the Fourth Round by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!

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Raphael
1483 - 1520
Italian

It would be impossible to say which artist is the greatest painter of portraits, but many would award the palm to Raphael.  He had that combination of qualities that the portrait painter needs: a keen awareness of the sitter's personality -- an insight into what makes the sitter "tick" -- combined with the great painterly skills that can create forms and colors, that of themselves alone would give us pleasure. - Sister Wendy's 1000 Masterpieces

• Defeated Allan Ramsay in Round 1.
• Beat Modigliani in Round 2.
• Trounced Paula Rego in Round 3.
• Got past Pierre-Paul Prud'hon in the Fourth Round.

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The Infinite Art Tournament, Left Bracket Second Round: Stubbs v. van Ostade!

George Stubbs
1724 - 1806
British

Made short work of by Graham Sutherland in Round 1.
Beat Gilbert Stuart in First Round Elimination by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!

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Adriaen van Ostade
1610 - 1685
Dutch

Tied with Sir William Orpen in his first try at Round One.
Tied with Frederic Leighton in his second try at Round One.
Beat Jean-Paul Riopelle in Round 1 by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Lost to Jan Steen in Round 2.

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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.

The Infinite Art Tournament, Round One: West v. Van der Weyden!

Benjamin West
1738 - 1820
American; worked in Britain

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Rogier Van der Weyden
1399ish - 1464
Dutch

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Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.

The Infinite Art Tournament, Left Bracket Second Round: Stella v. Still!

Frank Stella
born 1936
American

Lost to Dutch master Jan Steen in Round 1 by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Skunked -- Skunked! -- Canadian painter Jean-Paul Riopelle in First Round Elimination.

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Clyfford Still
1904 - 1980
American

Beat American Gilbert Stuart in Round 1.
Lost to his near-exact contemporary Graham Sutherland in Round 2.

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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.