The Elite Eight: Bruegel v. Degas

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The "Elite Eight" are the artists who managed to start the Tournament with a run of six victories. All any of them need to do is win four more, and he or she will be the greatest artist of all time! Easier said than done, of course.

Here, as a special Christmas gift just for you, is the first of the four Seventh-Round matches!

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Pieter Bruegel (the Elder)
c.1525 - 1569
Dutch

A number of Bruegel’s paintings focus on the lives of Flemish commoners.... But while these works demonstrate the artist’s attentive eye for detail and attest to his direct observation of village settings, they are far from simple re-creations of everyday life. The powerful compositions, brilliantly organized and controlled, reflect a sophisticated artistic design.... Bruegel’s use of landscape also defies easy interpretation, and demonstrates perhaps the artist’s greatest innovation.... These panoramic compositions suggest an insightful and universal vision of the world — a vision that distinguishes all the work of their remarkable creator.

- The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

• Trounced his own son, Jan Bruegel the Elder, in Round 1.
• Won easily against living artist Daniel Buren in Round 2.
• Scorched respectable Victorian Ford Maddox Brown in Round 3.
• Made it past Botticelli in Round 4.
• Beat Gianlorenzo Bernini in Round 5 by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
• Beat Albrecht Altdorfer easily in Round 6.

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Edgar Degas
1834 - 1917
French

Edgar Degas seems never to have reconciled himself to the label of “Impressionist,” preferring to call himself a “Realist” or “Independent.” Nevertheless, he was one of the group’s founders, an organizer of its exhibitions, and one of its most important core members. Like the Impressionists, he sought to capture fleeting moments in the flow of modern life, yet he showed little interest in painting plein-air landscapes, favoring scenes in theaters and cafés illuminated by artificial light, which he used to clarify the contours of his figures, adhering to his academic training. - The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

• 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.
• Beat Albrecht Dürer in a tough Round 5 match.
• Beat Gustave Caillebotte in Round 6 by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!

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