Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Infinite Art Tournament Second-Round Elimination Tiebreak: Albers v. Avercamp!


Way back in February, the Avercamp/Baldung match -- only the second ever Left Bracket Second Round Elimination contest -- was declared a tie.  Ever since, it has been sitting there waiting for another similar lockup that would start the tiebreak mechanism into action.

Meanwhile, the great Fra Angelico/Anguissola false-tie fiasco was resolved, which allowed Fra Angelico to advance and beat Arcimboldo.  This sent Arcimboldo into position in the Left Bracket Third Round, thus providing the necessary opponent for the winner of Albers/Alma-Tadema, the FIRST
ever Left Bracket Second Round Elmination contest.  When votes were tallied between the geometric minimalist and the Victorian classicist, however, they were... you guessed it: a tie.  A weird one, too!

So, back we go to the very top of the very First Bracket Sheet to let these gentlemen work it out the old-fashioned way: by the vote of you, the IAT reader.  Your vote counts!



Josef Albers
1888-1976
Dutch; worked in the United States







Hendrick Avercamp
1585-1634
Dutch






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, but likely much longer.

16 comments:

pfly said...

Hmm, I have a thing for Albers, but really, if I had to pick one to hang on my wall, I think I'd prefer an Avercamp. So, Avercamp.

Elizabeth said...

I am not particularly fond of washed-out backgrounds full of little tiny people, but I am less fond of paintings that give me a headache, so it's Avercamp.

Funny how someone - Mrs5000 I think it was? - said that the winning-side matchups are becoming an "I like them both but I like X better" when these elimination tiebreaks seem to be tending more towards "neither but I dislike Y less." At least for me.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater said...

Second guy in a LANDSLIDE. Painting actual things always beats out blobs of color. Plus I think they're playing an early form of ice hockey in one of those pics, and that's history right there . . .

Morgan said...

Avercamp for Alison, but I will hold fast for Mr. Squares

mrs.5000 said...

Avercamp is certainly skillful--I have praised his buildings in earlier votes--but his crowd scenes don't fascinate me the way Bruegel's do. Everyone seems small and of equal importance--he's sort of like Grandma Moses with a good education. (Actually, Dr. Noisewater, I believe they're playing "kolf".)

Albers's work, on the other hand, has a sort of analytical playfulness/joyful severity about it that was quite new, and holds up well. I like that it has plenty of impact without needing to be the size of a billboard. Plus my husband digs it, and some of his enthusiasm has rubbed off. So, yes, Albers for me.

Chance said...

I'm voting Hendrick Avercamp. His scenes are boring, but that colored-square crap Albers does is crap.

Nichim said...

Albers Albers Albers! I loves me some squares.

Anonymous said...

avercamp
sue

Anonymous said...

I still am feeling bad that I didn't vote for Avercamp in the first round. Go chilly Bruegel!

Chuckdaddy

Ben said...

Avercamp. Even though his paintings make me feel cold.

Michael5000 said...

Here's a vote for Avercamp on an Avercamp postcard, no less!

Michael5000 said...

Hmm, and then there's me. This is a really, really tough one for me -- two of my personal favorites LOCKED IN AN ICY STRUGGLE. Two meticulous dudes who pretty much stuck to what they felt they did best. And Albers has rotten image representation here. I'm going to say... Albers, by the breadth of an ice-skate blade.

lamanyana said...

Albers

Michael5000 said...

It's an email vote for Avercamp.

Michael5000 said...

Avercamp takes it fair and square, 10-15. Thank you for your awesome votes!

This tiebreak match is closed. Avercamp will jump to the "upper" of the two tiebreak brackets in contention.

Michael5000 said...

That's, um, 10-5 of course.