Saturday, September 6, 2014

The Semi-Finals: Bernini v. Bruegel!





Gianlorenzo Bernini
1598 - 1680
Italian
Gian Lorenzo Bernini dominated the Roman art world of the seventeenth century, flourishing under the patronage of its cardinals and popes while also challenging contemporary artistic traditions. His sculptural and architectural projects reveal an innovative interpretation of subjects, use of forms, and combination of media. Forging a path for future artists, he played an instrumental role in establishing the dramatic and eloquent vocabulary of the Baroque style. - The Met
  • Trounced German conceptual installation artist Josef Beuys in Round 1
  • Won a hard-fought match against American landscape artist Albert Bierstadt in Round 2.
  • Edged by Giovanni Bellini in Round 3 by a two-vote swing. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
  • Got by Hieronymus Bosch in Round 4.








Pieter Bruegel (the Elder)
c.1525 - 1569
Dutch
Pieter Bruegel I (ca. 1525–1569), commonly known as Pieter Bruegel the Elder, was the greatest member of a large and important southern Netherlandish family of artists active for four generations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A longtime resident of Antwerp, the center of publishing in the Netherlands and a vibrant commercial capital, Bruegel brought a humanizing spirit to traditional subjects and boldly created new ones. He was an astoundingly inventive painter and draftsman, and, due to the continuity of the family trade and the industry that developed in prints after his works, Bruegel's impact was widespread and long lasting.. - The Met
  • 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.







19 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Bernini. Such fluidity in stone.

Christine M. said...

Bruegel

Chuckdaddy said...

Clash of the titans! I'll go Bernini.

Morgan said...

Bruegel for me.

DrSchnell said...

Bruegel

lamanyana said...

Bernini

pfly said...

Can't forgive Bernini for beating Bosch. Well, okay, I guess I can forgive him but only because he's so obviously great. But Bruegel is even better. Bernini is "too perfect" somehow, while Bruegel has an oddness (dare I say a bit of Boschness?) that feels much more human and personal. Also I appreciate his choices of subject matter way way more. He's Beethoven to Bernini's Haydn...or something. I mean obviously no one in any artform is as great as Beethoven. It's just a metaphor, okay??

pfly said...

Also I gotta again plug Bruegel's Tower of Babel,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brueghel-tower-of-babel.jpg
which astounds me more than some of the examples shown here (or maybe is just awesome in a different way).

mrs.5000 said...

Admire Bernini, but love Bruegel.

Nichim said...

I think I'm going with Breugel here. That new one is amazing, and also I am a sucker for pies.

Michael5000 said...

It pretty much has to be Breugel.

Michael5000 said...

And here's an emailed vote for Breugel, from someone who may or may not be a sucker for pies.

Ben said...

Bernini!

Candida said...

Bernini, with a side of heartbreak.

Wildrover said...

This is the first match-up I've voted on that I'd describe as a painful choice. I have to go for Bernini though - it's hard enough to do a painting justice in a photo but it's impossible to do justice to Bernini's sculptures.

UnwiseOwl said...

Love that someone can be that expressive in sculpture. Bernini.

Lightmare said...

Breughel, one of my favourite painters ever.

Voron X said...

Bernini.

Michael5000 said...

Wow, that was quite the showdown! It's Breughel with a side of heartbreak, nine votes to eight! Don't cry for Bernini quite yet, he's still got the Left Brackets to dominate -- or to try to, anyway.