Thursday, July 26, 2018

Left Bracket Fifth Round Elimination: Fra Angelico v. Bosch!




Left Bracket Fifth Round Elimination continues with this match pairing Fra Angelico (6-1, 54-38, .587) against Hieronymus Bosch (6-1, 60-34, .638).  Bosch's loss came from Gianlorenzo Bernini, who subsequently fell to the Fra', so clearly there's no point in even holding this contest.  Or is there?

Leaving the Tournament are Bernini (4-2, 57-36, .613) and Giacomo Balla (4-2, 41-37, .526).  Bernini, who always enjoyed great voter turnout, leaves the Tourney as the 11th ranked artist by "batting average" but sixth by total voting margin.  Balla, who tended to lose big when he wasn't winning by a tight margin, ranks only 88th among the artists that have left the show.  


Fra Angelico
c.1387-1455
Italian
Known for his pious treatment of religious subjects – which he portrayed with unprecedented psychological penetration and a compelling realism – Fra Giovanni was first called "pictor angelicus," the Angelic Painter, shortly after his death in 1455, a name that came to be rendered in English as Fra Angelico. In 1984, Fra Angelico was beatified – the first step in the process toward sainthood – by Pope John Paul II, who also decreed him the patron of artists.
- The Met
  • Defeated Florentine master Andrea del Sarto in Round 1 by a decisive but respectful margin.
  • Beat Sofonisba Anguissola in Round 2 by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!! (This match was incorrectly determined a tie in March 2012; the miscount was discovered in May 2013. YOUR VIGILANCE COUNTS!!!)
  • Made it past Arcimboldo in Round 3.
  • Lost to Albrecht Altdorfer in Round 4 by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
  • Beat Max Beckmann in the Left Bracket Fourth Round.
  • Beat Hendrick Avercamp in Left Bracket Fourth Round Elimination.
  • Edged out supersculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini in the Left Bracket Fifth Round. It was a two-vote swing! YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!








Hieronymus Bosch
c.1450 - 1516
Dutch
It is quite a feat that a Dutchman who painted 500 years ago remains one of the most notable apocalyptic painters of the world and one of art’s first visionary geniuses. Hieronymus Bosch is most celebrated for his detail-drenched and symbolic narrative renditions of the dance between heaven and hell through biblical-themed landscapes upon which play a revolving cast of fantastical, and often macabre humans, animals, monsters, and make-believe creatures. His paintings demonstrate our age-old tales of morality and the eventual fate of all sinners who succumb to the pleasures and perversity of the ego. These timeless stories, masterfully portrayed upon canvas in Bosch’s impeccably steady hand, continue to challenge interpretation as well as position the artist as one of the canon’s first original thinkers.
- The Art Story







Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Infinite Art Tournament Third Round Elimination Tiebreak: Ghirlandaio v. Sutherland!





Here's the other half of the Left Bracket Third Round Elimination match that started last Thursday.

Domenico Ghirlandaio
1449 - 1494
Florentine







Graham Sutherland
1903 - 1980
British





Thursday, July 19, 2018

Infinite Art Tournament Third Round Elimination Tiebreak: Kupka v. Stella!




You'd be forgiven for having assumed that Frantisek Kupka had left the Tournament, but acutally he's been waiting for a tiebreak opportunity since locking up with Domenico Ghirlandaio in a December 2015 match.  Now, along comes Frank Stella, in a tie of his own with Graham Sutherland.  The two of them are fighting for the chance to take on some big-name competition that's lying in wait.  Let's find out who gets a shot at the big time!


Frantisek Kupka
1871 - 1957
Czech; worked in France








Frank Stella
born 1936
American






Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Round Six: Vermeer v. Michelangelo






Jan Vermeer
1632 - 1675
Dutch
With Rembrandt and Frans Hals, Vermeer ranks among the most admired of all Dutch artists, but he was much less well known in his own day and remained relatively obscure until the end of the nineteenth century. The main reason for this is that he produced a small number of pictures, perhaps about forty-five (of which thirty-six are known today), primarily for a small circle of patrons in Delft.... His compositions are mostly invented and exhibit the most discriminating formal relationships, including those of color. In addition, Vermeer’s application of paint reveals extraordinary technical ability and time-consuming care.
- The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
  • Beat Veronese easily in Round 1.
  • Vanquished Maria Elena Vieira da Silva in Round 2.
  • Trounced Félix Vallotton in Round 3.
  • Beat Turner in Round 4 by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
  • Got past Jan Steen in Round 5.










Michelangelo
1475 - 1564
Italian
Michelangelo, in full Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, [was a] Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. Michelangelo was considered the greatest living artist in his lifetime, and ever since then he has been held to be one of the greatest artists of all time. A number of his works in painting, sculpture, and architecture rank among the most famous in existence.
- the Britannica
  • Beat Sir John Everett Millais by a single vote in Round 1. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
  • Beat Spanish painter Joan Miró in Round 2.
  • Tied with Gabriel Metsu in his first try at Round 3. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
  • Overcame Velázquez in a second try at Round 3.
  • Beat Andrew Wyeth in the final match of Round 4, by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
  • Beat art-history outsider M.C. Escher in Round 5... by a single vote! YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!







Saturday, July 14, 2018

Left Bracket Round Four: Toulouse-Lautrec v. Tinguely!





This Left Bracket Fourth Round Match is between Toulouse-Lautrec (5-1, 51-27, .654) and Jean Tinguely (3-1, 25-19, .568).  Leaving the Tournament after falling to Toulouse-Lautrec is James Tissot (3-2-1, 38-37, .507).

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1864 - 1901
French








Jean Tinguely
1928 - 1991
Swiss
  • Defeated Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in Round 1.
  • Held off Dutch Master Hendrick Terbrugghen in Round 2.
  • Came back from behind for a two-vote victory against Mexico's Rufino Tamayo in Round 3. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
  • Lost to Jan Steen in Round 4.