And here we arrive at the Sixth Round Elimination. We are down, you know, to 24 -- now, only 22 -- artists. You can see 'em over in the sidebar on the right, if you are at the actual website on an actual computer: the undefeated titans of Sargent v. Vermeer, Leonardo v. Monet, van Gogh v. Varo, and Bruegel v. Degas, and then the one-loss giants of Wyeth v. Sheeler, Rembrandt v. Michelangelo, Homer v. Eakins, Klee v. Patenier, Picasso v. Ely, and Gentileschi v. Benton. Those last twelve will soon be winnowed down to six, to join Caillebotte (who just upset Bosch, 8 votes to 6) and Dürer (who just ended Altdorfer's Cinderella story, a million votes to one).
Basically, you may still find easy choices... but you shouldn't be expecting them.
1848 - 1894
French
Impressionists such as... Gustave Caillebotte enthusiastically painted the renovated city, employing their new style to depict its wide boulevards, public gardens, and grand buildings.... Caillebotte’s 1877 Paris Street, Rainy Day exemplifies how these artists abandoned sentimental depictions and explicit narratives, adopting instead a detached, objective view that merely suggests what is going on. - The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
- Defeated mobile pioneer Alexander Calder in Round 1.
- Held out against Edward Burra in Round 2.
- Fought to a draw with Caravaggio in Round 3.
- Crushed Corot in the Round 3 tiebreaker.
- Blasted Mary Cassatt in a Round 4 15-0 blowout.
- Beat Frederick Church easily in Round 5.
- Lost to Edgar Degas in Round 6.
- Upset Hieronymus Bosch in the Left Bracket Sixth Round.
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.
- Lost a close one to Edgar Degas in Round 5.
- Whupped on Paul Cézanne in the Left Bracket Fifth Round.
- Beat Caravaggio in Left Bracket Fifth Round Elimination.
- Crushed fellow Albrecht Albrecht Altdorfer in the Left Bracket Sixth Round.
I wanted to vote for Caillebotte because of the car-free streets in his paintings. But... Durer. Not really a fair contest.
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte
ReplyDeleteTough choice, but I'm going with Caillebotte.
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte!
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte. Love me that wing painting, though.
ReplyDeleteMariah votes for Caillebotte on FB.
ReplyDeleteDurer
ReplyDeleteWow. Durer.
ReplyDeleteWas surprised not to see Susan on here, but I checked my email and see she voted for Durer.
ReplyDeleteWas surprised not to see myself on here, so I looked at the pictures and found it was a slam dunk for Durer.
ReplyDeleteCaillebotte. Sorry, Durer!
ReplyDeleteDurer takes four straight votes to overcome a big deficit, but then loses it on the last vote! The German is out! Caillebotte has won another upset!
ReplyDeleteDurer obviously did very well in the Tournament to get this far. Moreover, he now becomes the artist who has left the Tournament with the highest voting average -- finally knocking Antonello da Messina out of the top spot, which he had held since November 2013. (By contrast, Antonello da Messina knocked out Marc Chagall, who had been in the top spot for 13 days. Chagall is currently ranked #121.)