Infinite Art Tournament: August 2019

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #39

Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Saturday August 31. For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.

Week #38 was the most, um, evenest running of the Ladder to date, with nobody polling less than three votes and a three-way tie for fifth stacked up one vote out of fourth. Honthorst falls off the Ladder after climbing nine rungs; Kitaj sticks around for a second week and a shot at glory! And Marin has clinched a net gain.

Last Week's Results

1. Canaletto: 6

2. Daubigny: 5
2. Kitaj: 5
4. Marin: 4

5. Honthorst: 3
5. Hilliard: 3
5. Noland:3

This Week's Contest

Stanley William Hayter
1901 - 1988
British

Tournament Record: Placed 406th, the lowest-ranked artist to make four Tournament appearances. Tied with Raoul Hausmann and beat Erich Heckel before losing to Leonardo da Vinci and Sol LeWitt. 15 votes for, 29 votes against (.341).

Alexander Ivanov
1806 - 1858
Russian; worked in Italy

Tournament Record: Placed 407th. Defeated Alexei von Jawlensky, then lost to Ingres and Ghiberti. 12 votes for, 24 votes against (.333).

Nicolas de Staël
1914 - 1955
Russian; worked in France

Tournament Record: Placed 408th. Lost to Léon Spilliaert, defeated Chaim Soutine, and lost to David Smith. 10 votes for, 20 votes against (.333).

R B Kitaj
1932 - 2007
American; worked in Britain

Tournament Record: Tied for 410th. Lost to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Pierre Bonnard. 8 votes for, 16 votes against (.333).

Tied for Second in Week #38.

John Marin
1870 - 1953
American

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

Tied for Third in Week #35.
Tied for Second in Week #36.
Placed Fourth in Week #37.
Placed Fourth again in Week #38.

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.
Tied for First, Week #35.
Placed First in Week #37.

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.
Tied for First, Week #35.
Tied for Second, Week #37.
Tied for Second again in Week #38.

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

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

It was the Infinite Art Tournament!

And, the winner of the Infinite Art Tournament is:

Pieter Bruegel.

He beat Vincent van Gogh fair and square in the rematch for a tenth uninterrupted victory overall.

Time to get started on the commemorative marker:

Second place went to Vincent van Gogh, third to John Singer Sargent, and fourth to Gustave Caillebotte. Vermeer and Leonardo da Vinci shared next-highest honors, followed by Edgar Degas and Andrew Wyeth. Rounding out the winners circle: Remedios Varo, Winslow Homer, Paul Klee, and Claude Monet.

Here's a bracket showing the fortunes of the 32 final survivors of the original 512:

The top rankings by vote ratio go to Leonardo da Vinci, Durer, and Wyeth. Bruegel was 5th in this measure, behind Sargent; Antonello da Messina, a strong performer in the early tournament, ranks a surprising 7th.

Homer had the most victories, with 11. Wyeth, Caillebotte, Bruegel, and van Gogh had 10 apiece. Appearing the most times, 13 times apiece, were Homer (11-2-0) and Caillebotte (10-2-1).

Caillebotte had the great number of individual favorable votes, with 115. Wyeth had 114, van Gogh 11, and Homer 108, followed by Bruegel with 98.

The artist with the lowest number of unfavorable votes was Frans Syders, with only 10, but since he only drummed up 8 positive votes in a pair of quorum-scrapers, it didn't do him much good.

Bellows, Avercamp, and Jacques David, oddly enough, all had three tied matches, but none of them are quite as moderate as Frederic Lord Leighton, who finished with two wins, two losses, and a whopping four ties.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #38

Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Friday August 23. For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.

Kalf falls off the ladder this week, having climbed vigorously from a three-way tie for 454th to a two-way tie for 417th! That sets up this week's match among two veterans, two artists who have held their own for a couple of weeks, and three new guys who beat them in the main tournament, but may or may not be able to beat them now!

Last Week's Results

1. Chase: 7

2. Daubigny: 6
2. Honthorst: 6
4. Marin: 4

5. Vorrocchio: 3
5. Kalf: 3
7. Rosselli:1

This Week's Contest

Kenneth Noland
1924 - 2010
American

Tournament Record: Placed 409th. Lost to Sir Sidney Nolan, tied Emil Nolde, and lost to Yves Tanguy. 11 votes for, 22 votes against (.333).

R B Kitaj
1932 - 2007
American; worked in Britain

Tournament Record: Tied for 410th. Lost to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Pierre Bonnard. 8 votes for, 16 votes against (.333).

Nicholas Hilliard
c. 1547 - 1619
British

Tournament Record: Tied for 410th. Lost to Edward Hicks and Meindert Hobbema. 8 votes for, 16 votes against (.333).

John Marin
1870 - 1953
American

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

Tied for Third in Week #35.
Tied for Second in Week #36.
Placed Fourth in Week #37.

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.
Tied for Third in Week #35.
Tied for Fourth in Week #36.
Tied for Second in Week #37.

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.
And again in Week #34.
And again in Week #36.

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.
Tied for First, Week #35.
Tied for Second, Week #37.

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

Saturday, August 10, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #37

Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Friday August 16. For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.

With two artists coming off bye-week and a tie for fourth last week, there's only one new kid on the slate for Week #37. Will Cosimo Rosselli become the new voters' darling? Only we the voters can say!

Last Week's Results

1. Canaletto: 7

2. Kalf: 5
2. Marin: 5
4. Honthorst: 4
4. Verrochio: 4

6. Piero della Francesca: 2
7. Tapies:1

This Week's Contest

Cosimo Rosselli
1439 - 1507
Florentine

Tournament Record: Tied for 412th. Lost to James Rosenquist and George Romney. 7 votes for, 14 votes against (.333).

Andrea del Verrocchio
1435 - 1488
Florentine

Tournament Record: Placed 415th. Lost to Vieira da Silva, beat Veronese, and then lost to Utamaro. 10 votes for, 21 votes against (.323).

Tied for Fourth in Week #36.

John Marin
1870 - 1953
American

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

Tied for Third in Week #35.
Tied for Second in Week #36.

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.
Tied for Third in Week #35.
Tied for Fourth in Week #36.

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.
Tied for First, Week #35.

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.
Tied for Third in Week #35.
Tied for Second in Week #36.

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.
Tied for First, Week #35.

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

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #36

Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Friday August 9. For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.

Chase and Daubigny are both on bye-week for the 36th running, which leaves the three new guys a relatively survivable art ecosystem. Maybe one of them will survive! Or maybe they all will!

Last Week's Results

1. Chase: 7
1. Daubigny: 7

3. Kalf:5
3. van Honthorst: 5
3. Marin: 5

6. Davis: 2
7. Mangold:1

This Week's Contest

Piero della Francesca
1410s - 1492
Italian

Tournament Record: Tied for 412th. Lost to Pablo Picasso and Pietro da Cortona. 7 votes for, 14 votes against (.333).

Antoni Tàpies
1923 - 2012
Spanish

Tournament Record: Placed 414th. Tied with Vladimir Tatlin, then lost to Frederic Leighton and Richard Wilson. 12 votes for, 25 votes against (.324).

Andrea del Verrocchio
1435 - 1488
Florentine

Tournament Record: Placed 415th. Lost to Vieira da Silva, beat Veronese, and then lost to Utamaro. 10 votes for, 21 votes against (.323).

John Marin
1870 - 1953
American

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

Tied for Third in Week #35.

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.
Tied for Third in Week #35.

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.
And again in 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.
Tied for Third in Week #35.

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

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #39

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

It was the Infinite Art Tournament!

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #38

Saturday, August 10, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #37

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #36

A User's Guide to the Infinite Art Tournement

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