Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Left Bracket Sixth Round Elimination: Gentileschi v. Homer!



When I decided that the Infinite Art Tournament was going to be double-elimination, I worried a little that the left-side bracket would be completely irrelevant.  My concern was that the talent would stack up so heavily on the right-hand side that every time someone lost in the Third or Fourth Round, say, they would immediately crush the competition on the left hand side, making everything that had gone on over there in the first few rounds completely moot -- before getting crushed themselves by the next person falling out of the winner's bracket.

It didn't turn out that way.  Here, now that we are down to our last twenty artists, here are Artemisia Gentileschi, who has won five straight after losing in the Fourth Round, and Homer, who has won nine straight after losing in the Second.  That's a lot of winning!  And one of them is even going to win again!  But only one.


Artemisia Gentileschi
1593 - 1652
Italian
Artemisia Gentileschi was an early Italian Baroque painter, and the only female follower of Caravaggio, whom she worked with in Italy in the early 17th century. Her innovative compositions and focus on Biblical heroines set her apart from her male contemporaries and have lead to the celebration of Gentileschi as a painter with a uniquely female perspective.
- Brooklyn Museum










Winslow Homer
1836 - 1910
American
...this great painter of the American scene did not lose the edge when it came to the probity and drama of his art.... In works such as Fox Hunt (1893) and Right and Left (1909), Homer dealt with profound issues of existence, while in his paintings of the pounding surf of the Maine coast he brought nature to center stage.
- Smithsonian







12 comments:

Morgan said...

Homer for me, but I'll still respect your taste in art if you vote the other way.

Christine M. said...

Homer

mrs.5000 said...

Glad to hear that, Morgan. Gentileschi.

boonec1974 said...

Both tell stories, but Homer's have a bit more variety: him

Maddy said...

Gentileschi, though I like Homer.

Nichim said...

Gentileschi

DrSchnell said...

Homer

Michael5000 said...

Mariah goes for Homer on FB.

Michael5000 said...

I think I've gone about as far as I can go with Gentileschi, which is a heck of a long way, because she's awesome. But Homer is awesomer.

Michael5000 said...

Oh, and to show you how far I'm behind in my email, here's what Susan had to say: "I hate to do this on Intl Womens Day, but I am voting for Homer (3/6), thus for eliminating Gentileschi." And she said that way back on Intl Womens Day!

Candida said...

Gentileschi. I'm not sure why Homer's not doing it for me today. It's probably not him but me.

Michael5000 said...

And it's Homer, folks, Homer stays alive with a 7-4 victory over Gentileschi. Great news for folks who like Homer, bad news for people who like Gentileschi, and since most of us like both of 'em it's an ambiguous day all around. That's the Infinite Art Tournament for ya!