Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Infinite Art Tournament, Round 2: Canaletto v. Caravaggio!

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

Beat early Flemish master Robert Campin in Round 1 by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!





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Caravaggio
1571 - 1610
Italian

Defeated sculptor Antonio Canova in Round 1.





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Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.

18 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Canaletto. Infinitely more peaceful to look at.

Christine M. said...

Caravaggio.

Nichim said...

Caravaggio. Both have nice light but Caravaggio has more interesting subject matter.

mrs.5000 said...

See, I like Canaletto, but for me there's no real contest. It's like, Canaletto's got a nice job at the theater painting the pretty backdrops, but Caravaggio is the guy up front directing the drama. Gotta be Caravaggio.

Morgan said...

In the competition between pretty cityscapes guy and good lighting guy, I'm going to go Caravaggio!

pfly said...

Gotta go with Caravaggio. Love those expressions and, um, fingers.

lamanyana said...

Caravaggio

Michael5000 said...

Vote-by-email: "will go along with the crowd for Caravaggio -- that man should go far in the contest."

Eric said...

Caravaggio by a mile.

Chuckdaddy said...

Caravaggio by a country mile

Michael5000 said...

For me: Caravaggio by a dramatically lit interior mile.

Canaletto is probably the best "souvenir of _____" painter of all time, and I'd pick him over many a lesser foe, but there's a certain stiffness in his style too. Everything in that third one looks frozen in time -- it doesn't seem like a moment in the continuous movement of life. Cf. poor agonized St. Peter being hoisted for upside-down crucifixion; you can sense the sweeping motion as the cross swings upward and also as his torso twists reflexively up for its last experience of normal orientation.

DrSchnell said...

Again, too late on this one, I imagine, but Carvaggio for the awesome expressiveness of his people, and for the picture of Thomas saying "pull my finger!"

Rebel said...

I was going to say it's too close to call... but now I see that Canaletto isn't getting any love - I'll give him a vote.

It's not easy to make architecture look alive, and I think he does so successfully.

Leonardo Piccioni said...

Caravaggio. He deserves be, at least, at fourth phase, for me.

Mm Mud said...

Carvaggio. something about the play of light and humans is very interesting.

Candida said...

Oh, Caravaggio! Adding to what Michael5000 said about St. Peter twisting up, I think the secondary figures in a painting often tell the real tale of genius. The guys who are working to crucify him--they're doing their jobs. The rope is pulling up the shirt of the guy with the rope, and the one kneeling down to brace/lift the cross is so active, and the sole of his left foot, you can see, is dirty, though not in the arch--and I love the way his figures have wrinkled foreheads. So expressive! Technically, I think he messed up Jesus' hair in #2, but I love the four heads coming together and how the other three are significantly older. Look at Thomas's throat!

Alison said...

I love Caravaggio so much

Michael5000 said...

Canaletto fails to hang on to his initial lead and takes a real beating from Caravaggio, going down 2-15 despite some obvious respect from the crowd.

Voting is closed in this match.