Wednesday, June 5, 2019

The Provisional Championship Match: Bruegel v. Sargent




Here it is, my friends -- eight years later, there are only two undefeated artists left.  Let's find out which one is the (provisional) GOAT.  

Why provisional?  Because, since it's a double-elimination tournament, the winner will still have to hold his own against the winner of the Left Brackets.



Pieter Bruegel (the Elder)
c.1525 - 1569
Dutch
A number of Bruegel’s paintings focus on the lives of Flemish commoners.... But while these works demonstrate the artist’s attentive eye for detail and attest to his direct observation of village settings, they are far from simple re-creations of everyday life. The powerful compositions, brilliantly organized and controlled, reflect a sophisticated artistic design.... Bruegel’s use of landscape also defies easy interpretation, and demonstrates perhaps the artist’s greatest innovation.... These panoramic compositions suggest an insightful and universal vision of the world — a vision that distinguishes all the work of their remarkable creator.
- The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
  • 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.
  • Beat Gianlorenzo Bernini in Round 5 by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
  • Beat Albrecht Altdorfer easily in Round 6.
  • Pulled away from Degas eventually in Round 7.
  • Surprised Vincent van Gogh in Round 8.











John Singer Sargent
1856 - 1925
American
Although Sargent painted, showed, and won praise for both portraits and subject pictures at the Salons between 1877 and 1882, commissions for portraits increasingly demanded his attention and defined his reputation. Sargent’s best-known portrait, Madame X, which he undertook without a commission, enlisted a palette and brushwork derived from Velázquez; a profile view that recalls Titian; and an unmodulated treatment of the face and figure inspired by the style of Édouard Manet and Japanese prints. The picture’s novelty and quality notwithstanding, it was a succès de scandale in the 1884 Salon, provoking criticism for Sargent’s indifference to conventions of pose, modeling, and treatment of space, even twenty years after Manet’s pioneering efforts.
- The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
  • Beat Juan Sánchez Cotán easily despite crowd support in Round 1.
  • Skunked Roelandt Savery in Round 2.
  • Skunked Dutch still-life master Rachel Ruysch in Round 3.
  • Crushed Henri Rousseau in Round 4 by a two-vote swing.
  • Encountered some resistance, but prevailed, against Rembrandt in Round 5.
  • Scorched Charles Sheeler in Round 6.
  • Beat Vermeer in Round 7
  • Beat Leonardo da Vinci in Round 8









16 comments:

Candida said...

Bruegel.

Morgan said...

Close! I like Sargent. But is he good enough to be provisional champion? Bruegel edges this one out, I think.

UnwiseOwl said...

Two most deserved champions here, but my vote is going to Bruegel.

Maddy said...

Sargent!

lamanyana said...

Bruegel!

DrSchnell said...

Bruegel

mrs.5000 said...

Bruegel.

boonec1974 said...

Wow. It seems like you deserve a Bruegal championship, Michael5000, for all of your hard IAT work. But my vote will go to Sargent.

Nichim said...

Bruegel. I really need to get a print of that one with the board of pies.

Alexandra said...


Sargent!

Michael5000 said...

Susan votes for Bruegel via postcard.

Michael5000 said...

Gretchen on FB: "Another vote for Bruegel! But wow, Sargent."

Michael5000 said...

Elizabeth for Sargent on FB!

Michael5000 said...

I guess I'll go for Bruegel here. But wow, Sargent.

Michael5000 said...

Two late FB votes, one either way...

Michael5000 said...

Holy Cow, Bruegel is the last undefeated artist! He's taken the Sargent down, 11 votes to 5!

Sargent and van Gogh will compete for second and the opportunity for One! Last! Shot! at Mr. Bruegel!