Infinite Art Tournament: July 2019

Saturday, July 27, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #35

Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Friday August 2. For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.

You might have noticed that the main tournament has its final match up, thus removing the raison d'etre for the Ladder of Art, essentially a gimmick to keep the site alive between "real" matches. And yet, here we are at Week #35.

This installment brings us two new contenders, Marin and Mangrove, both of whom went quietly two-and-out in the main tournament. They'll take on three of the top eight performers in the history of the Ladder, plus two newer veterans who have proven an ability to compete. I'm sure they'll do fine.

Last Week's Results

1. Canaletto: 7

2. Chase: 5
2. Daubigny: 5
4: Davis: 4
4. Kalf: 4

6. Rottluff: 0
7. Gilbert and George: -1

This Week's Contest

John Marin
1870 - 1953
American

Tournament Record: Placed 416th. Lost to Franz Marc and Theo Van Doesburg. 8 votes for, 17 votes against (.320).

Robert Mangold
born 1937
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 417th. Lost to Manet and Manzù. 7 votes for, 15 votes against (.318).

Stuart Davis
1894 - 1964
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 417th. Lost to Jacques-Louis David and Gerard David. 7 votes for, 15 votes against (.318).

Tied for Fourth in Week #34.

Gerrit van Honthorst
1590 - 1656
Dutch

Tournament Record: Placed 423rd. Lost to Pieter De Hooch, beat Hans Holbein, then lost to Hokusai. 11 votes for, 24 votes against (.314).

Placed First in Week #33.

William Merritt Chase
1849 - 1916
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 439th. Beaten by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin and Christo. 6 votes for, 14 votes against (.300).

Placed Second, Week #26.
Tied for First, Week #27.
Placed First, Week #29.
Placed First, Week #31.
Tied for Second, Week #33.
Tied for Second again, Week #34.

Willem Kalf
1622 - 1693
Dutch

Tournament Record: Tied for 454th. Lost to Wassily Kandinsky and Richard Parkes Bonington. 7 votes for, 18 votes against (.280).

Tied for First in Week #22.
Placed Second in Week #24.
Tied for Third in Week #25.
Placed Fourth in Week #26
Placed Third in Week #27.
Placed Second in Week #28.
Tied for Second in Week #29.
Placed Fourth in Week #30.
Placed Fourth in Week #31.
Placed Fourth in Week #32.
Placed Fourth in Week #33.
Tied for Fourth in Week #34.

Charles-François Daubigny
1817 - 1878
French

Tournament Record: Placed 505th. Lost to Salvador Dali and Aelbert Cuyp. 4 votes for, 26 votes against (.133).

Finished First in Ladder Week #2.
Finished First again in Week #4.
...and again in Week #6.
...and in Week #8.
...and in Week #10.
...and in Week #12.
...and in Week #14.
...and in Week #16.
...and in Week #18.
...and in Week #20.
Tied for First, Week #22.
Placed Third in Week #24.
Tied for First, Week #25.
Tied for First, Week #27.
Tied for Second, Week #29.
Placed Second, Week #30.
Placed Second again, Week #31.
And again, Week #32.
Tied for Second, Week #33.
Tied for Second again in Week #34.

Cast up to four votes in the comments by Friday morning!

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The Infinite Art Tournament Championship Match

Here it is! Back in April, Bruegel and Van Gogh met in Round 8. The older artist won the match, then beat John Singer Sargent in the provisional championship. To keep his hopes alive, Van Gogh had to beat Vermeer, then Caillebotte, and then Sargent, to make it back for one last shot at glory.

To defend the provisional championship, Bruegel needs a win or a tie. To complete his comeback, van Gogh has to win outright -- a tie would count as a Tournament-sealing victory for Bruegel under the Grudge Match rule.

Thanks to everyone who has voted regularly or sporadically over the last eight years. It isn't the kind of project that you would expect to see through to conclusion.

Vincent van Gogh
1853 - 1890
Dutch; worked in France

Over the course of his decade-long career (1880–90), he produced nearly 900 paintings and more than 1,100 works on paper. Ironically, in 1890, he modestly assessed his artistic legacy as of “very secondary” importance.... By the outbreak of World War I, with the discovery of his genius by the Fauves and German Expressionists, Vincent van Gogh had already come to be regarded as a vanguard figure in the history of modern art.

- The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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.
Beat Atkinson Grimshaw in Round 5.
Beat Thomas Eakins in a spirited Round 6 match.
Beat Remedios Varo by a wide margain, but with a lot of torn voters, in his Round 7 match.
Lost to Bruegel in Round 8.
Beat Vermeer easily in Left Bracket Round 8.
Beat Caillebotte in Round 8 Elimination.
Beat Sargent in the Left Bracket Final.

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.
Pulled away from Degas eventually in Round 7.
Surprised Vincent van Gogh in Round 8.
Beat John Singer Sargent in the Provisional Final Match.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #34

Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Friday July 26. For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.

In Week #33 we saw Gerard von Honthorst shake things up by earning the bye week. This sets up a tough tough challenge for Week #34's three 20th century new entrants, who have to face a tough group of veterans who are all already on the all-time top ten list of Ladder of Art winners. But maybe this is the week that some of them finally get knocked off! Let's find out.

Last Week's Results

This Week's Contest

Stuart Davis
1894 - 1964
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 417th. Lost to Jacques-Louis David and Gerard David. 7 votes for, 15 votes against (.318).

Gilbert and George
born 1942 and 1943
British

Tournament Record: Tied for 417th. Lost to Harold Gilman and Giambologna. 7 votes for, 15 votes against (.318).

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff
1884 - 1976
German

Tournament Record: Tied for 420th. Lost to Julian Schnabel and Christian Schad. 6 votes for, 13 votes against (.316).

William Merritt Chase
1849 - 1916
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 439th. Beaten by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin and Christo. 6 votes for, 14 votes against (.300).

Placed Second, Week #26.
Tied for First, Week #27.
Placed First, Week #29.
Placed First, Week #31.
Tied for Second, Week #33.

Canaletto
1697 - 1768
Italian (Venetian); also worked in England

Tournament Record: Placed 448th. Beat Robert Campin, then lost to Caravaggio and Alexander Calder. 7 votes for, 17 votes against (.292).

Placed First in Week #24.
Placed First again in Week #26.
Placed First again in Week #28.
And again in Week #30.
And again in Week #32.

Willem Kalf
1622 - 1693
Dutch

Tournament Record: Tied for 454th. Lost to Wassily Kandinsky and Richard Parkes Bonington. 7 votes for, 18 votes against (.280).

Tied for First in Week #22.
Placed Second in Week #24.
Tied for Third in Week #25.
Placed Fourth in Week #26
Placed Third in Week #27.
Placed Second in Week #28.
Tied for Second in Week #29.
Placed Fourth in Week #30.
Placed Fourth in Week #31.
Placed Fourth in Week #32.
Placed Fourth in Week #33.

Charles-François Daubigny
1817 - 1878
French

Tournament Record: Placed 505th. Lost to Salvador Dali and Aelbert Cuyp. 4 votes for, 26 votes against (.133).

Finished First in Ladder Week #2.
Finished First again in Week #4.
...and again in Week #6.
...and in Week #8.
...and in Week #10.
...and in Week #12.
...and in Week #14.
...and in Week #16.
...and in Week #18.
...and in Week #20.
Tied for First, Week #22.
Placed Third in Week #24.
Tied for First, Week #25.
Tied for First, Week #27.
Tied for Second, Week #29.
Placed Second, Week #30.
Placed Second again, Week #31.
And again, Week #32.
Tied for Second, Week #33.

Cast up to four votes in the comments by Friday morning!

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Infinite Art Tournament Penultimate Match: van Gogh v. Sargent

Vincent van Gogh and John Singer Sargent were both painters, were roughly the same age, and have two more things in common: they are both resented by Jan Vermeer, whose two losses came at their hands, and they both resent provisional champion Pete Brughel the Elder, who handed each of them their single defeats.

This is the 1089th match of the Infinite Art Tournament, and also the second-to-last. The winner clinches the silver and earns a rematch against Provisional Pieter for one last shot at the GOAT!!!

Vincent van Gogh
1853 - 1890
Dutch; worked in France

Over the course of his decade-long career (1880–90), he produced nearly 900 paintings and more than 1,100 works on paper. Ironically, in 1890, he modestly assessed his artistic legacy as of “very secondary” importance.... By the outbreak of World War I, with the discovery of his genius by the Fauves and German Expressionists, Vincent van Gogh had already come to be regarded as a vanguard figure in the history of modern art.

- The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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.
Beat Atkinson Grimshaw in Round 5.
Beat Thomas Eakins in a spirited Round 6 match.
Beat Remedios Varo by a wide margin, but with a lot of torn voters, in their Round 7 match.
Lost to Brughel in Round 8.
Beat Vermeer easily in Left Bracket Round 8.
Beat Caillebotte in Round 8 Elimination.

John Singer Sargent

1856 - 1925
American

Although Sargent painted, showed, and won praise for both portraits and subject pictures at the Salons between 1877 and 1882, commissions for portraits increasingly demanded his attention and defined his reputation. Sargent’s best-known portrait, Madame X, which he undertook without a commission, enlisted a palette and brushwork derived from Velázquez; a profile view that recalls Titian; and an unmodulated treatment of the face and figure inspired by the style of Édouard Manet and Japanese prints. The picture’s novelty and quality notwithstanding, it was a succès de scandale in the 1884 Salon, provoking criticism for Sargent’s indifference to conventions of pose, modeling, and treatment of space, even twenty years after Manet’s pioneering efforts.